Lock and Key
by Blushweaver
Summary: AU: For years Sakura has been in love with her childhood friend, the very popular Syaoran Li. Obsessed with the lovers myth, girls constantly confess and ask to try their keyhearts, hoping it will unlock his own heart. When asked to bring him another girls confession, Sakura realizes this is her opportunity to be rejected without him actually knowing it's her key.
1. Chapter 1

**Lock and Key**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of its characters.**

 **FYI: This FF is an AU based off the manga. (so none of those extra characters from the anime unless I need then)**

 **Lockmate = Soulmate**

* * *

Sticky juice dripped down Sakura's fingers, the juice box crushed in her grip. She paid it no attention to it, pressing herself against the wall as she listened to the conversation happening on the other side. It wasn't like she had meant to stumble across the scene. It was an accident! but now that she was here, she couldn't bring herself to leave. She had to hear it to the end.

"Please consider dating me." a female voice was saying.

Sakura recognized it as one of her fellow classmates, Natsuki. The girl was a famous beauty, receiving dozens of confessions throughout the school year. Seemed like it was now her turn to confess.

"I'm sorry." another voice said, this one deep and sending shivers up Sakura's arms. "I will only go out with my destined partner. I cannot return your feelings."

"I'm aware of this." the girl replied. "Your rejections have become quite famous."

Sakura bent down, poking her head around the corner. She spotted them, about ten feet away sheltered under a tree. Natsuki stood in front of him, eyes fixed upwards on the man's face, the back of his head facing Sakura. She couldn't see his expression, but she watched as his shoulders lifted and then sagged, indicating he had sighed.

"If you are willing to try, I am as well." he said "Let me see your keyheart."

The girl beamed, her large eyes shining in anticipation. Her reputation was well deserved. The girl was beautiful. Any boy would be a fool to reject her.

Natsuki placed her hands on her heart, and then pressed down. A soft light shone, barely visible to Sakura. As Natsuki pulled her hands away, they revealed a gold decorated key, barely the size of her palm. It was Natsuki's Keyheart.

Sakura blushed, knowing she was spying on a potentially intimate moment, but she couldn't leave. The boy pressed his own hand to his heart, his back blocking her view as he pulled his Lockheart from his soul.

"Here." the girl said, offering her heart to him. He took it, and again Sakura's couldn't see as he attempted to fit the key into his lock. Sakura sucked on her bottom lip, trying to fight the anxiety welling up inside her. What if this one actually worked?

The expression on Natsuki's face told her what she needed to know. The excitement flickered, disappointment and hurt flooding into her features. Sakura's heart soured, then immediately sunk as she felt guilty for celebrating at the girl's expense.

"I'm sorry." said the man. "But that's that."

"That's that." Natsuki agreed with a sigh. She took back her key, tears starting to fall as she placed it back within her soul. "I wish you luck on finding your true love."

Sakura brought her head back, sitting against the wall as she closed her eyes. Yet another close call. How many girls was it now? They said only one in every ten thousand people found their lockmate. If this kept up, he'd probably find her.

"What are you doing?"

Sakura's eyes flew open.

A familiar pair of amber eyes greeted her. The boy loomed over her, his height exaggerated from her crouched position.

She squeaked.

"Syaoran." she said, scrambling to her feet. "I didn't mean- I was just..." She felt completely exposed, caught while she'd been sorting out her feelings and spying.

Her childhood friend stood before her, looking handsome like usual with his curly brown hair and well-toned physique. He had a strong jaw line as well as an almost permanent scowl due to thick slanted eyebrows that made his expressions hard to read. Well, unless you knew him as well as Sakura did. For example, one eyebrow was lifted slightly and a small tweaking of his lips told her he was amused. He truly was the handsomest boy in the school... though perhaps she was a little biased. She was crazy in love with him after all.

"You've got juice all over your uniform." said Syaoran.

Sakura looked down, only now noticing the pink stains appearing on her white shirt. It looked like she had deliberately dumped the entire contents of her drink onto herself.

"Hoeee!" cried Sakura, pulling out her handkerchief, desperately trying to blot out the spots. It was no use, her own hands still sticky from the liquid.

"You're such a spaz." said Syaoran, a smile tugging on his lips. "Here." He pulled off his sweater vest, handing it to her. "Wear this. You can give it back to me later."

"But…" She stared to protest.

"Take it." he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You can't go around wearing a stained shirt all day."

She took it, unable to suppress the warm feeling that started to spread through her as she pulled the vest over her head. It was too big on her of course, covering her skirt as it sagged.

"Thanks." she said, smiling at him. She was wearing Syaoran's vest!

"What are you doing over here anyway?" he said glancing away.

"Oh- well." said Sakura, she grabbed the bento box that had dropped earlier. It was a good thing the lid hadn't popped off. She held it up, smiling.

"I wanted to see if we could eat together. Tomoyo is spending every moment working on her project and I didn't want to disturb her..."

She trailed off, wondering if it sounded weak. In reality, she'd just wanted to spend time with Syaoran. Even since they had changed class rooms, she'd felt lonely without him there.

"Sounds good to me." said Syaoran, and Sakura's heart leapt.

The two of them sat down on the bench, opening their bentos and digging in. Sakura couldn't help noticing when their elbows would brush every now and then, sending heat up her entire arm. A part of her was still thinking about the girl Syaoran had turned down. Did he not realize she had heard the whole conversation?

"Is Tomoyo-san working on the costumes for your play?" said Syaoran, picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks. "I heard you've had some problems."

"Yeah." said Sakura with a sigh "The roles were chosen at random and a lot of people aren't happy about it. They've been switching, making it hard for Tomoyo since has to redo a bunch of costumes. It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't insist on making each outfit a masterpiece."

"That's Tomoyo-san for you." said Syaoran. "It kinda reminds me of the play we did in junior high. Do you remember it?"

"How could I forget!" said Sakura, suppressing a laugh. "You made quite the lead. I've never seen such an adorable princess."

"Or such a handsome prince." said Syaoran, smirking. "What's your role? Maybe you'll get to be the princess this time"

"I'm not in it." said Sakura, suppressing a blush. She was definitely not happy Syaoran had called her handsome. That would be ridiculous. "I was randomized to be a stagehand. Natsuki-san is the princess. She was the only one everyone could agree on..." Sakura realized her mistake a second later.

"I see." said Syaoran. His eyes returned to his food.

Sakura looked at the bento in her own lap, the silence stretching between them making her feel awkward. Why had she mentioned the girls name? Maybe Syaoran was regretting turning her down. She was, after all, the prettiest girl in their grade. Her heart felt heavy.

 _Stop that Sakura._ She thought, shaking her head. _You can't get depressed over every little thing!_ It was her life's philosophy to think positively about everything. Worry burned unnecessary energy, she shouldn't get caught up in it. But what if he realized she had been eavesdropping?

Sakura sneaked a glance at Syaoran.

The boy was looking at her from the corner of his eyes, a smile creeping across his face.

"You-!" exclaimed Sakura, a blush coloring her. "You're teasing me! You knew I was there!"

Syaoran chucked, the sound making her blush harder. How had she not built up an immunity to him yet?

"It's your fault for eaves dropping." he said, taking a piece of food from her bento and popping it into his mouth. "I didn't realize you had such hobbies. Should I be worried about changing in the locker room?"

"You-!" She sputtered, too flustered to speak.

"The bells about to ring." said Syaoran, standing up. "Come on."

Sakura scowled, but couldn't suppress the happiness that always flowed inside her after talking to him. She really was completely smitten.

* * *

"He got _another_ confession?" said Tomoyo pausing as she stitched the costume in her hand. "And from Natsuki-san?"

"Yup." said Sakura, hugging her knees to her chest. The two of them were in the class room alone. School was out, but Tomoyo was still working on costumes for the play. Tomoyo had been Sakura's best friend since forever and knew about Sakura's crush on Syaoran.

"I can't believe it." said Tomoyo, returning to her sewing. "So even Narsuki-san isn't immune to his charms. How many does that make now? If he's not careful he'll end up trying all the keyhearts in the school."

Sakura grumbled, sinking lower into her curled position.

"Sakura." said Tomoyo "You've been in love with him for three years. Don't you think it's time for you to say something?"

"What would be the point?" said Sakura. "He'd just tell what he says to all the other girls.' _I'm not interested in anyone but my Lockmate.'_ Then he'll take my key and show that it doesn't fit. Then I'll never be able to talk to him again."

It was what had kept her silent, scared to say anything. Upon entering highschool last year, Syaoran had started refusing all confessions with the same reason. He wouldn't date anyone except the girl whose key unlocked his heart. No one less than his lockmate would do for him. It had been a year and a half since then.

"Oh Sakura sweetheart," said Tomoyo, setting down her work and giving Sakura a painful look "Is that really what you think would happen? You're one of the most positive people I know until it comes to Syaoran. Why can't you have more confidence in yourself?"

Sakura glanced at her friend, realizing she had worried her. Tomoyo was seriously too kind to her, always listening to her worries about Syaoran and everything else.

"You're right." said Sakura, stretching out her legs. Her eyes fell on the sweater vest Syaoran had given her earlier that day, making her smile. "Perhaps I am over thinking it. I need to be more positive."

Keymates were rare and most people didn't put any stock into it. Syaoran wasn't likely to find his match anytime soon, and in the meantime, she could spend time with him.

The door to the class room slid open. Two girls stood in the doorway, glancing around. They spotted Sakura and Tomoyo, walking over to them.

"Excuse me." said the girl with short hair, addressing Sakura. "You're Kinomoto Sakura right?"

"That's me." said Sakura, standing up. She didn't recognize them, but by their ribbons she knew they were first years.

"My name is Mai." she said. "My friend Mana-chan here has a question to ask you."

The smaller girl walked forward, biting her lip as she glanced at Sakura.

"Umm..." said Mana. "Senpai, I was wondering if you could help me."

"Sure, what do you need?" said Sakura, smiling kindly at her. The girl was so tiny and cute, her long hair almost completely engulfing her. It reminded Sakura of a fluffy rabbit.

"You're good friends with Li-senpai, correct?"

Sakura's heart dropped. Somehow she kept her smile from twitching.

"Yes." said Sakura, "We are friends."

"He doesn't have a girlfriend does he?"

Another weight dropped into Sakura.

"N-no." said Sakura. She was sure her smile was lopsided. From the corner of her eye, she saw Tomoyo looking at her.

"Then would you mind helping me?" said Mana. "I want to confess to him but... I'm scared." Mana bit her lip, glancing at her friend. Mai stepped up.

"She's tried many times to talk to him." said Mai, shaking her head. "But she always gets cold feet. We were wondering If you could take Mana-chan's key to Li-san and ask him to trying unlocking his heart with it."

The smile was completely gone now. Sakura couldn't help the burn of jealousy stirring in her heart, which just made her feel worse. What claim did she have over Syaoran? But still... to bring him another girl's key to use on his own heart...

"I'm sorry." said Sakura, giving a small bow. "I can't do that. I think you should present the key to him yourself."

"Please senpai." said Mana, wringing her hands together. "I'm too scared to try. What if he laughs at me, or my key?"

Sakura looked away, a pang of pity hitting her. "I'm sorry." she repeated, not trusting herself to say anything else.

She could see Mana wilt from the corner of her eye, another pang of sympathy hitting Sakura.

"Alright." said Mana. "I'm sorry for disturbing you senpai." The girl turned around to run away. Her friend quickly followed, grabbing her and stopping her from leaving. The two started arguing, Mai telling Mana that she'd give it to him if she was that sacred.

Sakura watched them fight for a moment, unable to shake the feeling that she had done something wrong. Tomoyo came to stand beside Sakura, studying her expression.

"I know what you're thinking Sakura." said Tomoyo. "I suggest you don't do it."

"Sorry for always making you worry." said Sakura closing her eyes for a moment. "But it just doesn't feel right either way. Might as well try to help someone if I can."

She took a second to collect herself before opening her eyes and calling out to the two.

"Wait." called Sakura. The two girls stopped arguing, turning to face their Senpai. Sakura took a deep breath before speaking. "I'll give him your key."

"You will?" said Mana, hope filling her face. "Thank you so much! You're amazing Senpai."

Mana pressed her hand to her chest, summoning her Keyheart, then held it out to Sakura. She took it, examining the silver key. It was thin, and very small, much like its owner. Was Sakura really going to give Syaoran another girl's confession?

Sakura glanced at Mana. The girl had tears in her eyes, obviously overjoyed that she would get a chance at Syaoran. Sakura couldn't hate her. She was a sweet girl, and it was understandable that she had fallen for Syaoran. He was amazing after all.

Mana and her friend left, giving Sakura another round of 'thank yous' before leaving. Sakura didn't move after they left, standing in the door way with Mana's key in her hand.

Tomoyo patted Sakura on the shoulder.

"You've always been a sucker for the helpless." said Tomoyo. "But sometimes I wish you'd use some of that kindness on yourself. There was no need for you to accept."

"But what if this key works?" said Sakura, swallowing. "Then I'd be depriving Syaoran of meeting his Keymate all due to my jealousy. How horrible would I feel if that turned out to be the case?"

"It won't." said Tomoyo, the certainty in her voice almost convincing Sakura of the fact. "But if it's too hard on you, I can give it to him to try. You shouldn't push yourself."

"No, it's fine." said Sakura, looking down at the key in her hand. "I made a promise. I intend to keep it."

* * *

The usual crowd of girls stood outside the kendo club room, blocking any view of the inside. Sakura chose to sit outside on the steps, bag resting on her knees as she waited for Syaoran to get out. She could have fought her way to the front to watch him fight, but her heart wasn't in it. A part of her didn't want to see him, the selfish part that just wanted to return the key tomorrow and say it hadn't worked. That part was also immediately squashed.

Sakura leaned forward, resting her forehead on the bag. Maybe she should go home and give it to him first thing in the morning. Then she'd have more time to compose herself.

The increase of noise behind her told Sakura the boys had been let out. She rose, clutching the bag to her chest, waiting. Five minutes later, Syaoran exited, a small trail of girls following him. Sakura could hear them asking to walk home with him.

"Maybe another time." said Syaoran, but the girls kept persisting. Eventually Syaoran spotted Sakura. He walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he turned to face the girls. "Sorry, but I've already promised to walk home with Sakura."

The girls groaned, some muttering that Sakura was lucky to be his childhood friend. More than a few glares were sent Sakura's way, but she barely paid them any attention. Her heart had started pumping in anticipation of what she needed to do.

"Shall we go then?" said Syaoran, casually resting his own bag over his shoulder.

She nodded.

The two of them had lived two blocks from each other ever since Syaoran had moved here from China. It wasn't the first time they had gone home together.

"So what's the occasion?" said Syoaran as they walked. "You usually don't wait to go home with me unless you've got something on your mind."

"It's nothing really." said Sakura, "I just wanted to walk home together that's all. We haven't done it in a while."

"I see."

Sakura glanced at Syaoran. The brunet was in a good moon. He was humming, his steps lighter than usual as they walked.

"Was practice good today?" said Sakura. "You seem happy."

"It was fine." he said, smiling at her. "Something good happened, that's all."

"I'm glad to hear it." she said, a smile of her own spreading across her face. His smile was infectious. "So what was so great about today?"

"Lunch." he said. "The food was really good."

"You make your own lunches." said Sakura. "You're not turning into a narcissist are you?"

"I ate about half of yours when you weren't paying attention." he said, a glint in his eyes. "I've always preferred your cooking than mine."

"That's why all my food was gone today." said Sakura, pouting. She usually only ate about half of what she brought. "Meanie!"

He laughed, and Sakura smiled. He had always complimented her cooking, which was why she cooked so much in the off chance they'd have lunch together. Looked like today was another success!

If she was a little braver, she might have offered to cook his lunch's for him. Then she'd have an excuse to see him everyday.

If she was braver.

Sakura stopped walking, her grip tightening on the handles of her bag as her smile disappeared. Why was she such a coward? Why couldn't she be like Natsuki and actually confess? Why couldn't she openly admit to liking Syaoran like Mana? It was the one thing she didn't like about herself. Her cowardice.

Syaoran noticed she had stopped. A few steps away, he turning to face her, amber eyes studying her.

"You alright?" he said.

Sakura took a breath. It was time, she needed to get this off her chest. This was the last time she'd ever present him with someone else's key. It wasn't good for her heart.

"Actually." said Sakura slowly. "There is a reason I wanted to walk home together."

"I thought so." said Syaoran, stepping closer to her. "Is something wrong?"

"It's not that." said Sakura, forcing herself to smile. "It's just that, I was asked to give you something."

"What is it?"

She dug inside her bag, pulling out the key and holding it out.

Syaoran's eyes narrowed, a prominent frown creasing his face. He stared at the key for a moment before turning his attention on her.

"That's not your keyheart I'm assuming." he said, voice level as his eyes bored into hers.

"N-No!" said Sakura, flustered. Why was he upset? "It's from a first year. They asked me to give it to you. They were too afraid to approach you so they asked me to present it for them."

"And you agreed?"

"I did."

Syaoran stared at her for a few more seconds before he turned, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he stomped off. "Just tell them it didn't work." he said. "I don't want to try it if they can't give it to me themselves."

 _wha!?_

"Wait!" said Sakura, running up and blocking his path. The brunet stopped, brows furrowed as she protested. "I can't lie to her. That wouldn't be right."

"Too bad." he said sternly. "I'm not going to try it."

"What if it's your keymate?"

"I'll take my chances."

"Please." plead Sakura, "She was really upset when she couldn't talk to you. I don't want to let her down."

They stared at each other and she could tell he was hesitating. They were both stubborn, but it looked like she would win this argument.

 _How in the world did it turn into this?_ Thought Sakura. _One second I was dreading giving the key to him. The next, I'm begging for him to try it. I really need to figure out what I want._

"Fine." said Syaoran, letting his bag drop to the ground with a plop. "Let's get this over with."

Syaoran put his hand to his chest, drawing out his heart. When he pulled his hands away, his lockheart was resting in his palm. Shaped like a hexagon, the yin and yang symbol took up most of the surface, a small key hole in the center. He took Mana's key from Sakura, trying to fit it into the lock. As small as the key was, it couldn't even fit.

Relief spread through Sakura.

"Are there anymore?" he said, handing the key back to her, obviously impatient to have this done.

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, then froze.

This was the perfect opportunity to try her own key! If she presented it to him, he could turn her down without him actually knowing he was doing it. She could have her answer without making it awkward between them in the future. Syaoran didn't have to know she liked him. It was the coward's way out, but she didn't care.

"There's one more." said Sakura, hurriedly pulling her bag up in front of her. She turned around, making a show of looking for the key in her bag. With her back to Syaoran, she pulled out the key from her heart, then turned around, holding it up as if she had just found it.

The key was gold with a star embedded into its pink handle. White wings sprouted from the sides, giving it a cute playful feel. It was small for a keyheart, but it was hers.

"Here it is." she said, handing it to Syaoran. He took it, flipping it over to examine it.

"Huh." he said. "Never seen one with wings before. That's new."

Sakura didn't trust herself to speak. Instead, she held her breath, watching as the key hovered at the entrance of the lock. Slowly, Syaoran pushed it in, the key sliding into place. Adrenaline coursed through Sakura, as she watched the key turning inside the lock.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **I have no idea how long this will be.**

 **This is my side project I'm working on when The Prince's Concubine gets me stuck. I'll update when I have time/when I need a break from my other project.**

 **Thanks again for reading!**

 **-Blushweaver**


	2. Chapter 2

_Sakura didn't trust herself to speak. Instead, she held her breath, watching as the key hovered at the entrance of the lock. Slowly, Syaoran pushed it in, the key sliding into place. Adrenaline coursed through Sakura, as she watched the key turning inside the lock._

* * *

Syaoran cursed.

Sakura's head snapped up. Syaoran's face scrunched in anger as he quickly yanked out the key from his lock.

"Here." said Syaoran, holding it out to her. "Tell the girl it didn't work."

Sakura didn't move, her mouth dry as wave after wave of shock coursed through her. She just stared at the key resting in the palm of his hand. Her Key. Had Syaoran just refused to open his lock with it?

"Take it." said Syaoran, brandishing the key.

"I don't understand?" said Sakura, finally finding her voice. "Why didn't you turn it all the way? I thought you were looking for your keymate."

He looked at her, confused by her question.

"Sakura." he said. "I've been using that as an excuse to reject girls so they would leave me alone. Before, when I would say I didn't love them, they would just keep pursuing me. So this was the best option I could think of to get rid of them. I'm not actually looking for my keymate."

Sakura felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.

"So what are you saying?" said Sakura, praying that her voice was stable. "That even if you found your keymate you wouldn't want to be with them?"

"Of course not." said Syaoran, getting impatient. He took Sakura's hand, placing the key in her palm and closing her fingers around the cold metal. "I've never believed in the whole destined partner thing. It's a sham."

"Oh."

It was all she could say. She just stared at her hand that held her key, unable to face him. This... was worse than being rejected. Her key, by some miracle, was the match to Syaoran's. She was his destined partner, yet it didn't matter. Syaoran didn't believe in the legend. He wouldn't become hers.

She felt a hot prickle grow in her throat as her emotions attempted to spill from her. She couldn't speak, trying to force down the lump, unwilling to cry in front of Syaoran.

"Sakura?" came Syaoran's voice, low in concern. From beneath her bangs, she could see him bending forward, attempting to get a look at her face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." said Sakura, her voice cracking.

She turned her head away, trying to block it with her hands, but Syaoran wouldn't let her. He took hold of her wrists. Gently, careful not to hurt her, he lowered her arm. Sakura could only stand there, biting her lips as she kept her eyes down. She felt completely miserable, a traitorous tear sliding down her cheek.

"Sakura." said Syaoran, panic entering his voice. He started sputtering, his usual calm low voice becoming frantic and hurried as the words slurred together. "What's the matter? Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself? Did someone bully you at school? Don't cry. I apologize for whatever did. Should I go get you some ice cream?"

Sakura gave a light, broken chuckle. She couldn't help it. Syaoran, the usually cool and composed Syaoran was completely rambling. He hadn't been like this since they were kids.

"You haven't changed a bit." said Sakura, wiping her eyes. She raised her head, now able to see Syaoran's frantic expression. He was still bent forward, eyes wide and mouth askew in worry. She gave him a small smile. "You used to ramble like that a lot when we were little."

"Well, you guys used to tease me a lot." he said "And I could never take it when you'd..." he trailed off, clearing his throat and straightening up. "Anyway, are you alright?"

"Yeah." said Sakura, nodding. Most of the initial shock was gone, blown away by Syaoran's clumsy attempt to help her. Disappointment and sadness still wrestled inside her, but she could hold it in until she got home. He was the only one that could affect her like this. "I was just... feeling bad for the girl that was rejected, that's all."

"Oh." said Syaoran, glancing at the hand that held her key. "If she your friend?"

"Yea." Sakura heard herself saying. "She really loves you Syaoran. I was just thinking how sad it was that she won't have her feelings returned."

"I see." he said, his stance becoming still as he thought. For a few seconds they stood there, neither saying anything. Then Syaoran let out a sigh of irritation.

"Look." he said. "I don't mind helping you Sakura, but this is something I absolutely won't budge on. I know my own heart. I'm not going to let some fairy tale magic decide my feelings for me. I'm sorry for your friend's feelings."

"Yeah. I should have figured." said Sakura slipping the key into her pocket. She spun around, and started towards home staring at the sky as she walked. Syaoran quickly fell into step beside her. She smiled a little as she pondered about what she'd just learned.

"It makes sense." she said "I thought it was odd at first, you've never believed in things like magic and destiny. But then you seemed so adamant about the whole thing so I overlooked it... Now looking back, I just feel like a fool."

"Sorry." he mumbled, "I didn't think that... I should have told you."

Sakura glanced at him, realizing she was making him feel bad. It wasn't his fault she had fallen for him.

"Don't look so glum." said Sakura, giving him a playful pat in the shoulder, desperate to bring the atmosphere back up. She hated it when Syaoran was feeling down. "Just make sure to introduce me when you confess."

"What!"

Syaoran nearly fell, tripping on nothing.

"What do you mean by that?" he said, the severity of his expression a little scary.

"Your girlfriend." said Sakura, hesitating. "You have someone you like don't you? Isn't that part of the reason you didn't unlock your lockheart? I assumed based on what you said that you had someone you liked."

Syaoran examined her face, a look of disbelief on his own. Sakura had to suppress a blush under his scrutiny. Eventually he looked away.

"Yeah, I have someone I like." he said. "But she has no idea."

It was as if a large weight was pressing against her chest. She had guessed he liked someone but hadn't actually thought it was true. Why had she never heard about it? Was it someone she knew? How long had he liked her? Her head was abuzz with all these questions, so consumed with her distress that she nearly didn't hear him speak.

"What about you?" he said.

"Hoe?" said Sakura, puling herself out of her reverie. "What?"

Amber eyes smiled in amusement at her lack of attention. "Do you have anyone you like?"

 _You_ thought Sakura, them immediately kicked the thought from her head. "Yeah, I do." she said. "But he likes someone else."

"What!" said Syaoran, taken aback. He hadn't expected that answer. He stopped walking, forcing Sakura, to stop as well "Since when? I've never heard of this."

Sakura laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Well, I've kept it kinda quiet."

"Who is he?" said Syaoran. "Do I know him?"

"It doesn't matter." said Sakura, desperate to get the conversation off of this topic. She already felt as if she was walking on glass around him most of the time. She didn't need him realizing her feelings for him because she slipped up.

"Like hell it doesn't matter!" said Syaoran, his yell making Sakura jump. "What if he's a complete jerk? You're not good at judging people's character since you only see the best in people. I can't let you go out with him if he's not good for you."

"It doesn't matter." said Sakura again, feeling uncomfortable "I don't plan on telling him anyway. I know he'd reject me."

Syaoran grumbled something unintelligible. It was his turn to walk away, Sakura jogging for a second to catch up. He was still grumbling, the mood significantly worse than it had been before. She didn't dare say anything, not sure what had set him off in the first place. Did he really distrust her judgment of people that much? It was nice that he was looking out for her, but she wished he was feeling jealous rather than just protective. It reminded her of when her brother had figured out she liked Syaoran. He'd been grumpy for a long time after that.

"Does Tomoyo-san know who you like?" he said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." said Sakura.

"Figures." he said, rubbing his forehead with a hand and muttering to himself. "Of course she would know. No wonder she's been..."

Syaoran trailed off, continuing to pout and occasionally ruffling his hair in frustration.

"Are you upset that I didn't tell you I liked someone?" asked Sakura.

"Not exactly." said Syaoran. "I guess it's just my turn to feel like the fool."

She had no idea what he meant by that, but they had arrived at her house. A part of her wanted to stay with him, loving being in his presence. Unfortunately, the other part was still fighting her desire to cry on the spot.

"Thanks for walking me home." said Sakura, giving a quick bow.

Syaoran gave a soft "Hmm" from his throat, frowning as he stared at her face. She could tell he was still processing what she had told him and was sorting through his thoughts. It felt a little awkward, standing there under his scrutiny. She hoped he couldn't tell that his attention was making her squirm.

"Well... I'll see you later." said Sakura, practically running for the door. She barely heard him reply before she had gotten inside the house.

She kicked off her shoes, shooting her dad a quick greeting before running up the stairs into her room. Once there, she jumped onto the bed, pulling a large yellow stuffed animal into tight hug.

For a minute, she stayed there, head buried into the plush doll. The tears she expected didn't come, her eyes strangely dry. Instead, there was a dull empty ache in her chest that made it hard to breathe. It spread through her whole body, making her limbs heavy in a strange tiredness.

 _He loves someone else._ Thought Sakura, tightening the grip on her winged doll. _It doesn't matter if we are keymates. He loves someone else..._

* * *

A loud ringing brought Sakura out of her groggy state. She smacked the alarm on her bed, yawning and looking around through tired eyes. She was lying on the top of her covers, still in her clothes from the day before. Her back hurt a bit from the curled position she had assumed most of the night.

 _When did I fall asleep?_ She thought, rubbing her eyes and sitting up on the bed. She stared at the ceiling, expression vacant as her brain slowly rebooted. She'd been up most of the night, thinking about Syaoran and what she was going to do. There had been a few tears, but most of the night had been spent tossing and turning on the bed in a desperate attempt to stop thinking about him... and now she was thinking about him all over again.

Sakura stared at the ceiling for a few more seconds, then let herself fall back onto the bed.

 _No more of this Sakura._ She thought. _You've had your sleepless night. It's time to get over him. You feel like crap now, but everything will be fine in the end._

With this _"happy"_ thought, she rolled out of her bed and sat up, grabbing a clean uniform and headed to the bathroom. She stared at her refection in the mirror, noting the bags under her green eyes and her major bed head. Parts of her short brown hair sticking up while others were plastered to her face. Her eyes fell on the sweater vest she was still wearing, her heart giving a painful thump.

 _I'll have to give it to him tomorrow._ She decided, sighing and pulling the vest over her head. There wasn't enough time to wash it by today.

Something in the mirror caught her eye. She leaned closer, pulling down the collar of her shirt. Right above her heart, was a small star with white chibi wings. Sakura immediately recognized it as parts of her key heart. What was it doing there?

She rubbed the skin, it didn't come off, nor was it raised. It was simply there, like an old tattoo she'd had for years.

"That's weird." mumbled Sakura.

Any other day she might have freaked out, on account that a random tattoo appeared out of nowhere, but not today. Today she was already too emotionally drained and sleep deprived to care. So instead of exclaiming, she just continued getting ready for school.

She took a quick shower, putting Syaoran's sweater to the side. A little under eye cover up and a brush through her hair made her look better. One wouldn't think she had stayed most the night due to a broken heart. Nope.

Walking down the stairs, Sakura quickly made her bento and gave her dad a hug goodbye. He had been a little worried last night since she had refused to come down for dinner.

"I now you're at that age where you've got secrets you don't tell your parents." he said gently as he released her from his hug. "But don't forget I'm here if you ever need me."

"Thanks dad." she said, feeling better. Things at the house had gotten more quiet since Toya had left for university. With just her and dad in the house, her mom having died when she was little, they had come to rely on each other a lot more. She handed him his bento and walked outside to go to school.

The sight that greeted her made her stop.

Syaoran was waiting at the end of her walkway, leaning against the gate. He looked up when he heard her leave the house.

"S-Syaoran." said Sakura, stunned. What was he doing here? Her heart was not ready for this sudden surprise attack. When their eyes met, she felt a sharp stab in her chest. The feeling made her breath in sharply, placing her hand over her chest. What had that been?

"Sakura?"

The sound of her name made her attention snap back to him. He was leaning casually against the gate, hands in his pockets as he stared at her. The sun from the morning light highlighted his brown hair, casting a dazzling sheen on his whole countenance.

Sakura swallowed. How was she supposed to give up on him when he looked so perfect?!

"A-are you here for your sweater?" said Sakura, forcing her brain to start moving. "I'm sorry. I didn't have time to wash it yesterday."

"It's fine." said Syaoran. "That's not why I'm here."

Sakura cocked her head. "It's not?"

"I thought we could walk to school together."

A flash of delight flared inside of Sakura, which she immediately pushed down. It wouldn't be good if her happiness bled into her face.

"Don't you have club activities in the morning?" said Sakura.

"Not until after the school festival is over." said Syaoran pushing off the fence and walking towards her. He stopped right in front of her, looking down slightly as his amber eyes peered into her green. "Since both our clubs are giving us a break, I thought we could spend some more time together."

 _Thump._

There is was again, that stabbing in her chest. Sakura flinched, closing her eyes against the pain. What was wrong with her heart?

"Sakura?"

Sakura opened her eyes, a worried Syaoran now standing before her.

"Do you not want to?" he asked, obviously misinterpreting her expression.

"No! Of course I want to." she said quickly, throwing out her hands. "I was just surprised that's all."

"Then let's go, or we'll be late." said Syaoran, as he turned and walked away.

Sakura fell into step beside him, making casual conversation. Externally, she was enjoying herself, smiling and laughing with him. Inwardly, she was mentally berating herself.

That was the second time her heart had hurt like that at seeing Syaoran. Obviously she needed to get a grip on things and get over him.

 _We're just friends._ Thought Sakura, watching him talk enthusiastically about a new piece of equipment he'd gotten. She loved watching him talk about the things he liked, the energy leaking through his barely suppressed delight. Not many people got to see this side of Syaoran, with his walls down, talking with vigor.

Sakura gave her brain a mental shake.

 _Just friends!_ She thought. _Which means no more thinking about what you like about him!_

It was easier said than done, she liked so many things about him. Somehow she managed to make it to the front gates without blurting out her love for him. When had it gotten so hard to suppress her desires?

* * *

"Good morning Sakura." said Tomoyo, already seated in her seat in the classroom. Sakura quickly walked over to her.

"Good morning Tomoyo." said Sakura, hugging her friend as if she could steal some energy from her. Tomoyo, quickly returned the hug, giving Sakura a pat on the back and chuckling.

"What's up with you today?" said Tomoyo. "Not that I don't like hugs, but what brought this on?"

"Oh… well." said Sakura, detaching herself from Tomoyo. Before she could elaborate, some of their other friends came into the class room, greeting the two of them.

"Good morning, Rika. Chiharu," said Sakura with a smile.

"Good morning Sakura." said Rika, nodding towards her. The girl had short fluffy hair that framed her face as well as a calm demeanor. Though she was short, Sakura thought she was one of the most mature people her age she had met. Well, besides Tomoyo of course.

"Morning," said Chiharu, plopping down into her seat, which was right in front of Sakura. "Geez, I almost didn't make it. I dropped my train pass into a crack in the tiles and couldn't get it out. The train attendant wouldn't let me pass even though he could see the thing in the floor."

"Did you manage to get it back?" asked Sakura, concerned for her friend. Chiharu was usually pretty chill unless you got her riled up. Then she became a fireball.

Chiharu shook her head, twin pigtails swinging as she did so. "Nah, had to pay for my ticket. I'll probably have to buy a whole new pass too. It was a good thing Yamazaki-kun was there or else I might have strangled that attendant."

Sakura laughed, the image of Chiharu strangling a faceless attendant the way she tended to strangle her poor boyfriend.

The bell rang a second later, signaling the start of the lesson.

School continued like usual that morning, listening to teachers lecture and taking notes. It was a normal, nothing extraordinary day at school, yet Sakura couldn't feel that way. She did her best to pay attention to the lessons, but more doodles popped up in her notes then actual notes. More than once she felt her heart constrict in her chest, though it was never as painful as the first time she'd felt it that morning.

 _Maybe it would be a good idea to distance myself from Syaoran for a while_ thought Sakura, erasing the umpteenth doodle of his name on her notes. _I need some help figuring this out_

When it came time for lunch, Sakura stood in front of Tomoyo's desk.

"Tomoyo." said Sakura quickly. "I know you probably want to spend lunch sewing... but can I talk to you for a bit?"

"Of course." said Tomoyo, grabbing her bento and standing up. She must have heard the desperation in Sakura's voice, because she didn't even bring a lick of sewing material with her. They bid their friends goodbye, telling them they had to talk for a moment. Rika and Chiharu waved them away, joining their other classmates for lunch. It was a sign of their friendship and understanding that the girls didn't press to know what was wrong. They knew there were some things Sakura had to talk to just Tomoyo about.

"Did something happen with Syaoran yesterday?" said Tomoyo as soon as they were alone outside. Sakura gave a small squeak of surprise.

"How did you know?" said Sakura.

Tomoyo gave a small smile. "Sakura. Yesterday you left with another girl's keyheart to give to your crush. There's no way something didn't happen. And besides-" Tomoyo reached up, placing the tips of her fingers below Sakura's still swollen eyes. Her expression became softer, more concerned. "-how long have we known each other? I know you so well. We're practically sisters."

Sakura swallowed, forcing back her tears. Of course Tomoyo had noticed her swollen eyes. She'd never been able to fool Tomoyo when she was feeling bad and a little bit of makeup wasn't going to do it for her.

"I gave him the girl's Keyheart." said Sakura, hearing the words come out of her. "It didn't work... everything was going to be normal... but then I decided to have him try my keyheart."

Tomoyo's eyes grew wide, hundreds of questions dancing behind them, but she was wise enough to not say anything. It was a good thing too. If Sakura had stopped she might not have been able to start again.

"He didn't know it was mine." she continued. "I said it was another girls keyheart. He took it, and it fit inside his lockheart."

"Really!?"

The exclamation bust from Tomoyo and she quickly clamped her hand over her mouth. Her eyes that had been bright in delight became somber, realizing that there was more to the story.

"That's right." said Sakura, an overwhelming feeling of dread coursing through her. "We're lockmates, or at least probably are. I'll never know. Syaoran didn't turn the key. He- He just yanked it out and told me to tell t-the girl it didn't work."

Sakura sniffed, using a hand to wipe her eyes. "T-then he said that he didn't believe in fated partners. Said he likes another g-girl." She hiccupped, forcing the words out of her mouth. "I-I'm going to give up on Syaoran. I don't want to be in love with him anymore."

"Sakura sweetheart." said Tomoyo, hurrying to Sakura and wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. Sakura let her, feeling miserable. "Don't say such things. Why are you going to give up on him when you're his keymate?"

"B-because I don't see how it's going to help." said Sakura, hitching her voice in a higher mock imitation of herself. "I can't just go up to him and say 'hey, it was my key this whole time. Since we're keymates and all that we should be together.' Do you really think that would work?"

"Maybe, maybe not." said Tomoyo, with a grimace. She placed her hands on either side of Sakura's face, forcing Sakura to look at her as she gave Sakura a stern expression. "So just because he likes someone, you're going to give up?"

Sakura rubbed her face as Tomoyo let go of it. "But if he likes this girl enough to throw away his destined partner, then he must really love her. When I look at it like that, I feel like I don't have a chance."

It hurt. To think that he loved someone else so dearly and it wasn't her. She had never imagined the possibility until yesterday. It had come as a huge shock. The world was a few shades paler because she wasn't number one in his heart.

"Sakura..." said Tomoyo, putting a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry. I-" Tomoyo shook her head, teeth clench in a mixture hurt and... frustration?

"I'll support you whatever your decision." said Tomoyo, giving Sakura a hug. Sakura returned it.

"Thank you for listening." said Sakura, tightening her arms around Tomoyo. "There's... also something else that's been bothering me."

"What is it?" said Tomoyo, pulling back from the hug.

"It's this."

Sakura untied the ribbon on her neck, unbuttoning one of the buttons and pulling down her collar to show the tattoo over her heart. A shiver ran through Sakura when she saw it. There was a pink ring around the star, just like from her keyheart.

That hadn't been there that morning.

"You got a tattoo?" asked Tomoyo, confused.

"No!" said Sakura hurrying to explain. "I saw it this morning... and that pink ring is new. I didn't have it a few hours ago."

Tomoyo's face turned pale.

"Sakura." she said. "Isn't that part of your keyheart?"

Sakura nodded.

"Try pulling it out. Let's see if it's changed or something."

Sakura pressed her hands to her heart, calling for her keyheart to emerge.

It didn't come.

"Well?" said Tomoyo, waiting.

Sakura couldn't speak. Her whole body went ridged in stunned shock. She felt hollow, empty, like someone had ripped her heart out. She kept calling for her keyheart to emerge, screaming, willing for it to appear.

Nothing happened. Nothing responded.

"Tomoyo." Sakura chocked, turning wide eyed to her friend. "It won't come out. My keyheart... It's gone."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and the reviews! :)**

 **-Blushweaver**


	3. Chapter 3

_"Tomoyo." Sakura chocked, turning wide eyed to her friend. "It won't come out. My keyheart... It's gone."_

* * *

Tomoyo was speaking. Her lips were moving, yet Sakura couldn't hear anything. Her thoughts were turned inwards, searching desperately for her keyheart. Mental arms reached in the darkness, finding nothing but empty space. She knew it was useless, but she couldn't help it. How could she have not noticed the hole in her heart? The section of her soul severed and torn from her.

Someone shook her slightly and Sakura jolted out of her trance.

"Huh?" said Sakura, blinking.

Tomoyo was gripping Sakura's arm, concerned. "Sakura. Were you listening to me?"

"No. Sorry." said Sakura, pressing the palm of her hand to her eyes and squeezing them shut. She hadn't purposefully cut out Tomoyo's voice. This whole situation was too crazy. She didn't understand what was going on. Now that she had noticed the hole it was impossible to ignore. How did this happen?

"I think you need to rest." She heard Tomoyo say "Come on, let's go to the nurse's office."

Sakura didn't respond. Instead, she allowed her friend to steer her towards the nurse's office, the slight tug on her wrist her only anchor to keep her from drifting away with her thoughts.

The nurse wasn't in, so Tomoyo took it upon herself to push Sakura into one of the beds. She grabbed the covers, pulling them up to Sakura's chin.

"Now rest." said Tomoyo, settling down in one of the chairs by the bed. "I'll stay until you're asleep."

Sakura meant to tell her it wasn't necessary. That she didn't need to stay here and risk being late for class for her sake and that she was completely fine. But she had already fallen asleep, her mind heavy with worries.

* * *

The low hum of voices woke Sakura from her sleep. She kept her eyes closed, trying to remember what she had been dreaming about. It had been pleasant, whatever it was. For a minute she tried to sink back to sleep, remembering the warmth from her dream.

The voices in the room kept jarring her out of her daze, finally forcing her to acknowledge the real world's existence. A second later she recognized one as Tomoyo's and the other as Syaoran's.

"...was surprised."

"I did warn you. I hate to say this, but it's your own fault for not being proactive."

"I know."

Silence.

Sakura scrunched her face, trying to figure out what they were talking about.

"You haven't told her have you?"

"I don't break my promises, as much as I would like to."

"Good. I want to be the one to tell her."

Tired of not understanding, Sakura sat up, her sheets rustling as she did so.

Sure enough, Tomoyo and Syaoran were both in the room. Syaoran was sitting in the chair beside her bed while Tomoyo was sitting at a nearby desk, fabric and sewing material in hand. For a moment, she thought Syaoran had stiffened though she'd probably imagined it. She was still waking up after all.

"Hey guys." said Sakura, cover her yawn with a hand. "What's up?"

"Good morning sleepy head." said Tomoyo, chuckling as she put down her sewing material. "Or should I say, good afternoon. Classes are all done for today."

"What!? I slept the whole day?" said Sakura. Guess she had been more tired than she realized. Suppressing another yawn, Sakura glanced at Syaoran. He was watching her closely, something akin to hesitation in his features. Was something wrong? He hadn't spoken since she'd woken up.

"What is it?" said Sakura. "You look like you've got something on your mind."

Syaoran's hesitation didn't go away. His eyes were scanning her.

"You didn't..." he started, then swallowed. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much." said Sakura happily, and it was true. That sleep had done wonders for her mood. She felt much like her usual optimistic self, and well... it did help that Syaoran was here, obviously worried about her. She might be getting over him, but she still liked being in his presence.

Syaoran blinked once at her, then sighed, the tension leaving his body. He gave a short chuckle, ruffling Sakura's hair with a hand.

"Glad to hear it." he said. "I thought you looked down this morning."

Sakura batted his hand away. "It was nothing." said Sakura, pouting as she attempted to control the mess he had created. Several strands of honey colored hair were now sticking straight up. "I just couldn't sleep last night 'cause I saw a scary movie."

Syaoran gave her a look that plainly said he didn't believe her. Before he could start interrogating her, Tomoyo stood up, the bundle of cloth and lace in her hands.

"I'm going to the craft room." said Tomoyo. "I'm done with this costume. I need to grab another one. I'll be back."

"I'll meet you there." said Sakura, giving her friend a smile. "I'm about to get up. If you'd like we can go home together later."

"I'll be here for the rest of the day." said Tomoyo. Syaoran's back was towards her, so he didn't see the sudden intense look Tomoyo shot Sakura. Her eyes darted between Sakura and Syaoran, her message clear. "You should go home first."

Sakura gave her friend a small shake of the head, Syaoran still oblivious to the hidden exchanges between them. Her friend was trying to make her leave with Syaoran, but Sakura didn't want to. Well, that wasn't entirely true. A huge part of her really wanted to, but she decided it would not be a good idea. At least, not when her heart was so fragile it was literally missing.

"I've got to talk to a few of my teachers before I leave." said Sakura. "Might as well stay and do whatever homework I missed from sleeping during class."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Tomoyo gave a small smile. "Alright. I'll see you in a bit." Then she left.

Sakura busied herself by shifting the sheets on her bed, not looking at Syaoran. He was being more quiet than usual. It didn't help that she felt awkward from yesterday's conversation, yet it wasn't as unpleasant as she might have imagined. In fact, despite her nerves, it felt nice. Really nice. Sakura found herself second guessing her decision to go home with Tomoyo already. Talk about indecisive.

Unconsciously she pressed a hand over the tattoo that had shown up this morning. Now that she thought about it, her keyheart was probably related to being rejected by Syaoran. What exactly did it mean? What was she supposed to do? Now that she was awake these questions started to fill her brain. Hoeeee, everything was just making her head spin!

"I'm not an idiot Sakura." said Syaoran, and Sakura was jolted out of her thoughts by his voice. She glanced up, meeting his eyes. Sakura swallowed, realizing he had seen her thoughts playing out on her face.

"I know that you didn't stay up from a scary movie," he continued. "And I know that Tomoyo-san knows what's going on. I also know that you plan on solving it yourself from here on out to prevent her from worrying. I also know she saw straight through you, but is letting you do what you want anyway."

Sakura gave a light laugh. "And here I was thinking I was such a good actor."

"Face like an open book." said Syaoran, taunting her with his usual jab. Then he returned to being serious. "I know you don't consider me as good a friend as Tomoyo-san, but if there is something I can do, I want to help. I'm worried about you as well."

Sakura paused, considering his words. There wasn't any way she was going to tell him what the problem was, but she hadn't thought that her actions would cause him to worry. Now that she took the time to think about it of course they would! The two of them were friends after all. _And_ this was Syaoran, both thoughtful and kind - at least when he wasn't teasing her. Of course he'd be concerned about her.

"Sorry for worrying you." mumbled Sakura. "It was... I just had something on my mind, but I'm feeling better now."

"You sure? You don't usually get upset like this unless it's a big deal."

"Well..." said Sakura, glancing at the spot over her heart as she thought. "It kinda is.. and it kinda isn't now that I think about it."

"What do you mean?"

Sakura glanced at Syaoran. He was listening to her attentively, paying attention to every word. She knew what he was doing. He had done it many times before. He was trying to help her think through her problems by getting her to talk out loud. Sakura suddenly remembered all the times she had talked to Syaoran like this, explaining her worries while he patiently asked follow up questions which in turn helped her find a solution. She inwardly smiled at the memories. How could she not talk to him now?

"Even though nothing's changed, I feel much better." said Sakura.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to describe it." said Sakura, putting a finger to her lips in thought. "I was so troubled about... something, thinking I had to change. Somehow better myself. But after thinking about how I've been acting, I realized I've been overreacting. Something has changed, and yet nothing's changed."

Since yesterday she'd been going in circles, thinking about how she'd have to give up on Syaoran and distance herself from him. The thoughts had plagued her up until Tomoyo had finally made her sleep in the nurse's office. By the time she'd woken up, it was as if her brain had assembled all her thoughts for her, deciding on what she would do next.

She'd been so focused on her feelings for Syaoran she'd forgotten about everything else. Her tunnel vision had led her here. Yet now, her scope had broadened, recognizing the other people and things involved in her life. She'd also realized that - as silly as it sounded - the world would not end if Syaoran liked someone else at the moment. Life did not consistent of just this time. There was a future and a past to her existence.

"Sorry, I'm probably not making any sense." said Sakura, shaking her head. "It's just a change in perspective."

"I think I can understand what you mean." said Syaoran, placing his chin into his palm, elbow resting on his propped knee. He stared at the wall, a slight smile on his face as he talked, eyes unfocused. "What changes isn't your circumstances. It's you. There's nothing that physically changes, but you learn something new and decide how it's going to change you. How it's going to affect your actions. At first you struggle, going down the wrong path a few times before finding the right one, which turns out to be not that different from what you were on before. But there's a growth and change in your attitude that makes all the difference."

Sakura blinked, staring hard at Syaoran. It was then that she realized that Syaoran wasn't acting like himself. She'd been too tired and self-absorbed to notice it until now. The differences were small, but they were there. The careful way he was talking to her with the absence of teasing, the occasional tug on his tie, and his unusual solemn quietness. Syaoran was also bothered by something as well. Maybe... it had to do about his crush?

The familiar feelings of dread started in Sakura's stomach.

Sakura slapped herself on both cheeks. No! She wouldn't dwell on what she couldn't confirm. She wouldn't let those thoughts take her over. Syaoran needed help. Now was not the time to dwell in self-pity.

Syaoran was staring at her when she raised her eyes to him.

"We can do it Syaoran!" said Sakura seriously. "I don't know what's bothering you, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But if you ever need anything you can come talk to me and I promise to help!"

Syaoran stared at her for another moment, before chuckling, a warm smile spreading across his features.

"I'll hold you to that." he said, his smile turning into a cheeky grin. It reminded Sakura of when he was younger. "In fact, I think you can help me out right now. If you'd like."

"Of course!" said Sakura, sitting up straighter on the bed. Her heart was fluttering slightly, eager to help Syaoran feel better. No matter what it was, she was going to help him!

"I'd like to walk around with you at the school festival."

"What!?"

That was not the answer she was expecting. While she wanted nothing more than to pounce on the idea, she first had to make sure he wasn't trying to change the topic

"How is that supposed to help you?" said Sakura.

"Well. To tell you the truth, I miss spending time with you." said Syaoran, looking sheepish. "Ever since we've been in different classes it's become harder to hang out."

"That's true..." said Sakura, now even more shocked. True, they weren't as close as they had been before, but Sakura knew it was due to more than their class rooms being far away. For one thing, they were both busy with their club activities. For another, Sakura had been too chicken to approach him herself on more occasions than she'd like to admit. They would go a few days without seeing each other, and those meetings they did have were usually short. So she wasn't the only one that had noticed the distance increasing between them...

Sakura stopped her mind from wondering into fantasy land. Syaoran had specifically said that he wanted her help. Would he tell her at the festival what was bothering him? Or maybe... Was she going act as his body guard and ward off the mob of girls? The high of the festival tended to produce more love confessions than even graduation. Sakura would take that job of bodyguard with pleasure.

"I'd love to!" she said. "I've missed spending time with you as well."

Syaoran smiled "Good. You don't have to spend the whole day with me. Just... whatever works for you."

Honestly, Sakura would have liked nothing more than to hang out with Syaoran the whole time, but she refrained from saying so. Still, Sakura was smiling like crazy at this point.

"Our play is one of the last events of the evening." said Sakura. "And I don't have to be there until an hour before it starts. So we can hang out before that."

Syaoran nodded, a new light shining in his amber eyes. "Perfect. Come to our class room an hour after it starts. My shift should be done by then. Also..." Syaoran rested a hand on Sakura's. Immediately she felt a jolt at the contact, but it wasn't unpleasant. Rather, a hyper awareness of his skin on hers. She was so lost in the contact that she almost missed what he said next.

"...Please don't over exert yourself. If you need anything, all you have to do is ask."

Sakura swallowed, unable to deny the connection she felt with him in that moment. This wasn't something he hadn't done before. This wasn't the first time he had placed his hand on hers. This wasn't the first time he had told her to come to him when she needed help. But there was something different in this connection. Something more solid, and she could only pray that Syaoran felt it was well.

"Thank you." said Sakura, not able to look at him, for fear her face would explode.

Syaoran gave her hand one more squeeze before leaving. Sakura put a hand to her cheeks, feeling them burn. It took several minutes before the heat left her face.

 _What in the world just happened!?_

* * *

Sakura gave a sigh, grabbing a few books from her locker and stuffing them into her backpack. Two of her teachers had given her make up work for missing their classes. She wouldn't have minded except that one of the classes was for math, her least favorite subject.

"Sakura-senpai."

Mana and Mai were walking towards her.

"Oh, Mana-san!" said Sakura, giving the girl a wave. "I'm sorry, have you two been looking for me?" She had completely forgotten to tell Mana that she had given Syaoran his key to try out. The event afterward had made it completely slip her mind. "Here, let me give you back your key and tell you what happened."

The shorter girl shook her head.

"It's fine, I already called it back a long time ago."

"You did?" asked Sakura, confused. Did she not want to know how the confession went? Or had she gotten cold feet and pulled it back in case Sakura hadn't managed to give it to him yet?

"No, that's not it." said Mana, exchanging glanced with Mai. "Actually... I was wondering..."

Mana trailed off, her voice becoming unintelligible. Mai gave her friend a sympathetic look.

"We were wondering if you gave him another confession yesterday as well." said Mai, speaking up for her friend.

Sakura's heart beat immediately increased. They knew. How could they have known that she had asked Syaoran to try her heart? But no... she was jumping to conclusions.

"Why do you ask?" said Sakura, keeping her voice carefully neutral.

"Didn't you hear?" said Mai. "Syaoran-kun refused a girl's confession today."

"That's hardly anything new."

"No, as in 'refused to accept it' refused. He refused to try out his lockheart with her key."

"What!"

Sakura was dumbfounded. She instinctively knew it definitely had to do with yesterday, but couldn't figure out exactly how. Why exactly had he done that? The tail end of the conversation she'd overheard between Syaoran and Tomoyo floated into her head.

" _You haven't told her have you?"_

" _I don't break my promises, as much as I would like to."_

" _Good. I want to be the one to tell her."_

Did this conversation have anything to do with his rejection of the girl's confession? Was he planning on telling Sakura about the girl he liked? Was he finally planning on confessing? Or was there something else going on that wasn't related to it at all? Oh, he'd better not be moving. The last time he had tried that without telling her he'd ended up in some serious trouble.

"I didn't hear about it." said Sakura, masking her shock. "But, if a girl had given me her keyheart to confess, I wouldn't say unless she gave me permission to."

"I see." said Mana, her face falling. "So he rejected my confession after all."

Sakura reached out, patting the girl on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Mana scrunched her face, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

* * *

Sakura waved goodbye to the two girls, her emotions steady despite Mana's sadness. Sakura's heart went out to her, but Sakura didn't feel like she had to right to feel bad for her. After all, a part of her was glad that Mana's confession was unsuccessful, but on the other hand, she still didn't like seeing people get hurt. It was time to do something about this mess of her heart.

"No more standing still Sakura." she said to herself. "It's time to act."

She and Syaoran were lockmates, yet her key was now gone. She loved Syaoran, but he loved someone else to the point of not caring about who his keymate was. Syaoran had something troubling him, and now he was rejecting confessions completely. Everything had to be related somehow, it had to be. She needed answers to find peace of mind.

Sakura walked quickly through the halls, passing only a couple students on the way. By this time, most people had gone home except the few that were still working on their classes presentation for the festival. Hopefully _she_ hadn't left yet either.

Sakura reached the counselors office, giving a sharp knock.

"Come in." called a sweet voice from inside.

Sakura entered. The room was small, but it was one of the few single room offices in the school. Despite this, even with the desk and filing cabinets sorted neatly inside it didn't seem crowded. A small windowsill held a yellow flower, the color brightening the room. It was very much like it's caretaker, beautiful and gentle.

Mizuki Kaho smiled at Sakura as she walked in.

"Kinomoto-san, can I help you?" she said.

"Yes, but I can come at another time if now's not good." said Sakura, glancing at the other person in the room. It was a guy who looked around her age, wearing round large glasses. He smiled kindly at Sakura, his gentle aura matching the tranquility of the room.

"It's fine." said Mizuki, waving for Sakura to sit down in a chair by her desk. "Kinomoto-san, this is Eriol Hiiragizawa. He's just helping me with some things."

"It's nice to meet you. Just call me Sakura if you'd like" said Sakura, wondering why she had never seen him before. He wasn't wearing a school uniform, which meant he probably wasn't a student here.

"The pleasure is mine." said Eriol. "And I would love to Sakura-chan, but only if you call me Eriol in return."

"Sounds like a fair trade." said Sakura.

"So, what can I do for you?" said Mizuki.

"Mizuki-sensei, you studied Key and Lockhearts in university correct?"

"Yes. I went to America and received my PHD specifically in that field of study. Why do you ask?"

Sakura noticed that Eriol, who had been sorting through some note, had paused. He was studying Sakura from the corner of his eyes. Typically, Sakura would have felt uncomfortable having someone overhear her conversation with Mizuki, yet she didn't feel like that at all with Eriol. He immediately made her feel at ease, much like her school counselor.

"Well." said Sakura slowly, sinking into the chair by the desk. "I was wondering. Are there circumstances where a person's keyheart disappears?"

"There are." said Mizuki, frowning in thought. "It usually happens when they go through something that changes their fundamental personality. There are other circumstances, but many of those are rare and unusual."

"What about... when a mark that looks like the person's keyheart appears on their body? Has that happened before?"

Mizuki raised her eyebrows at Sakura. She glanced at Eriol, who was now staring curiously at Sakura.

"Sakura-chan." said Eriol, coming to stand in front of her. "Are you Syaoran Li's Lockmate?"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, reviewing and following!**

 **Don't worry my friends/readers. I didn't drop this project. It's just second priority to my other story. Then college started back up (this will be the hardest semester of my college career!). So I've very busy making sure not to fail at school/life. XD I'm glad that you've all been enjoying it though!**

 **Liz: So far it's not in the plan to have Syaoran's POV. But we will have to see.**

 **-Blushweaver**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi friends, I'm back from my trip and decided this needed to be updated asap.**

 **I super apologize it took so long to update. Truth be told, I was swamped with school and lost ALL motivation to write this story as I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with it. I'm still somewhat lost, but I will not abandon this story, I promise!**

 **Thank you for everyone's patience and reviews! Now enjoy.**

* * *

 _Mizuki raised her eyebrows at Sakura. She glanced at Eriol, who was now staring curiously at Sakura._

 _"Sakura-chan." said Eriol, coming to stand in front of her. "Are you Syaoran's Lockmate?"_

* * *

"H-how did kn- I mean..." Sakura snapped her mouth shut, knowing her outburst had given her away. That, and the obvious blush creeping up her face.

"How did you know?" said Sakura quietly, now staring at her hands.

"It was as simple as putting two and two together." She heard Eriol say. "After all, Syaoran-san came in here earlier with almost the same questions you did. He also said that he found his keymate by almost turning the key but stopped halfway through."

What? Syaoran had also come asking the same questions as her? She looked up to gape at Eriol.

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura. "Why would he… is his heart gone as well?"

"I'm afraid we can't tell you more than that." Said Mizuki. "We usually don't share personal information with other students, though you coming here does answer a lot of questions."

Sakura looked between then, trying to gauge what was going on. So many more questions were flying through her head. Mizuki and Eriol were exchanging meaningful looks, as if they could read each others thoughts with their expression alone.

Mizuki gave her a soft smile then stood up, fingers brushing her pencil skirt to straighten it.

"How about this?" she said. "I'll go make some tea and let Eriol talk to you for a bit. He can explain this a little better than I can since he knows Li-san."

"Ah, sure." Said Sakura

Mizuki exchanged one last look with Eriol before walking out of the office, shutting the door behind her. Sakura bit her lips, wondering for probably the hundredth time what was going on. She glanced at Eriol who was still watching her with that kind smile on his face.

"I'm sure you're a little confused Sakura-san." He said, taking the chair Mizuki-sensei had vacated. "How about I tell you a little bit about myself before we get to your questions. After all, it seems a fair trade that you get to know more about me since I'm going to be asking you some personal questions."

"Okay." Said Sakura, not sure how that would help.

"Syaoran-san is actually my cousin." Said Eriol. "Part of the reason I am here is to visit him."

"You're his cousin?" said Sakura, confused. "But you don't look at all related."

Eriol chuckled. "No, we hear that a lot. Just another odd thing with genetics. I may not look it, but I'm actually a college graduate. I'm currently working on getting my masters which is why I am here working with Mizuki-san."

"You graduated from college already?" said Sakura, shocked. "But you are so young. Are you one of those child geniuses or something?"

"You could say that." Said Eriol. "I wanted to tell you so you know that you are talking to someone who knows what they are talking about, as well as someone that knows Syaoran-kun. I promise you Sakura-san, that whatever we say in here will stay between us, so I want you to be completely honest with me. Are you in love with Syaoran-kun?"

Sakura bit her lip, bending her head forward as she felt even her ears turn red.

"Yes." She mumbled.

Something soft pressed on her head and looked up to see Eriol smiling at her. He had a comforting hand on her head, patting it reassuringly.

"No one should look so dejected when they're in love." He said soothingly. "It's a wonderful thing to love someone Sakura-san."

"Maybe." muttered Sakura. "But only if there's a chance that they are going to return your feelings, which I know Syaoran won't."

Eriol seemed surprised. "And why do you say that?"

"He told me he already likes someone."

"Then why don't you just steal him away from them?"

Sakura blinked, not sure if she had heard him correctly. She might have only known Eriol for a few minutes, but he didn't seem the type of character to suggest such a thing.

"You mean, make him fall in love with me?" said Sakura, nonplussed. She had never thought about it. It wasn't in her nature to forcibly take or change anything.

"He's not currently dating the girl is he?" said Eriol. "And you fell in love with him before you even knew you were keymates. There's no real reason why you can't try."

Sakura went silent for a moment, thinking. The main reason she hadn't confessed was because it was beyond embarrassed just talking to him. It was better now, but the slight distance that currently existed between them had been caused by her insecurities. Then there was her argument that if Syaoran liked the girl enough that he was willing to give up his lockmate for her, it meant she had no chance.

But that was also assuming Syaoran put as much importance in lockmates as she did, which he didn't. He thought it was a cheap trick and useless, so she couldn't measure the strength of his feelings against it. What would it be like, actually actively pursuing Syaoran? Would it be awkward if it didn't work out?

Eriol brought Sakura out of her thoughts a moment later.

"It's just something to think about." Said Eriol. "I would like to discuss with you a few things about your keyheart."

"Yes! Please." Said Sakura. As she spoke, Mizuki came back, holding a cup of tea in each hand.

"Ah, just in time." said Eriol. He took the offered cup form Mizuki, inhaling the scent before taking a sip.

"Here you are Sakura-san." Said Mizuki, handing Sakura the other cup. She took it, taking a drink and feeling calmer. Mizuki really did make the best tea.

"We were just about to go into keyhearts disappearing." Said Eriol. "That one is more your specialty. Perhaps you'd like to explain to her some situations where it happens."

"Of course." Said Mizuki. "As you know, there are some instances where keyhearts disappear. Usually this is when the person is undergoing some sort of major change in their personality or an event causes trauma. PTSD it an example. It doesn't happen to everyone, and it usually occurs because the individual is unstable. Most minor changes in keyhearts happen instantly if they occur at all. Your case doesn't fall into this category as you are neither unstable or going through a major personality change."

"Then does it have to do with the fact that I found my other half, but didn't get to unlock it?" said Sakura.

"Right on." Said Eriol. "In basic terms, you've had your heart broken, literally."

Heart broken. The term didn't sound pleasant, but she knew immediately that it was accurate. She had the red eyes from last night to prove that much at least.

"You've hinted to me that you wish to give up on Syaoran." continued Eriol. "Which means you are fighting your own heart. Both of you are by rejecting a bond that was almost formed. Because your keyhearts did connect, but not fully, you are both effected by one another while simultaneously trying to distance yourself from each other."

"This, is somewhat complicated." Said Sakura, a little confused. "So basically I've had my heart broken and Syaoran's own lockheart is probably reacting to my decision as well as his rejection of the connection."

"Correct." Said Eriol.

Sakura fell into thought, her mood growing worse. Was she always going to be broken hearted? Did that mean she would never have a destined partner after this? Then again, if it wasn't Syaoran she wasn't sure if she cared.

"Sakura-san." Said Mizuki. "From here on out, you get to choose how your heart heals."

"What do you mean?" she said.

"Your keyheart will heal, you are young and resilient enough that it will." Said Mizuki. "But you may no longer be Syaoran's keymate."

Panic shot through Sakura. No, she didn't want that. Even if Syaoran didn't believe in keymates, she didn't want to give up this connection to him. The knowledge that they were destined for each other was comforting even if Syaoran didn't love her. But then again, was if fair of her to hold onto him in this way, denying Syaoran and whoever he loved to become truly connected in the way only keymates could be? Couldn't changing be a good thing for both of them? If her heart went for someone else, then she could get over Syaoran and find love that would be returned.

"Do I have any influence in this?" said Sakura.

"Of course you do." Said Mizuki. "But remember Sakura, you must be true to your heart and your own feelings. Denying them will just weaken your heart making it more susceptible to being broken beyond repair. I suggest you take some time to think over what you truly want."

"What I truly want?"

She wasn't sure what that was. Did she want to love Syaoran even though it was an unrequited love? Or did she want to sever that tie and start over? She honestly didn't know.

* * *

Tomoya was still in the arts room working on the costumes. Sakura walked in quietly, thinking on what she had learned. The floors creaked, alerting Tomoya to her presence. The raven haired woman turned in her seat, noticing Sakura.

"There you are. I was starting to get worried." Said Tomoya. Then she saw Sakura's face. She put down the cloth in her hands, brow wrinkled in worry. "What's wrong? What did you find out?"

"A lot." Said Sakura with a sigh. "It's somewhat complicated. I don't know what to do."

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"That's the problem. I don't know." Said Sakura, shaking her head. "Should I give up on Syaoran, or continue to love him?" Then there was the option Eriol gave her, to pursue Syaoran and make him fall for her, but she knew that was impossible. She wasn't very good at flirting or whatever it was girls did to make men fall for them.

"Do you want to love him, or do you want to go out with him?" asked Tomoyo.

"I want go out with him, obviously." Said Sakura.

"Then just ask him out." Said Tomoyo. "Whether he rejects you or accepts you, you can make your decision from there."

"Confess?" said Sakura, mulling it over. She'd been way to chicken in the past to say anything, but now, she knew what to expect. "What would that change? He already likes someone so he's sure to reject me."

"You don't know that." Said Tomoyo. "Take Shizuki-san for example She had a boy she liked, but when Shouta-san confessed, she gave him a chance, and they've been dating for six months now!"

"That's true..." said Sakura, considering. Something would change in her and Syaoran's relationship if she confessed. It may be awkward, but he wouldn't avoid her even when he rejected her. He wasn't like that.

The more she thought on it, the more she liked the idea. She wanted to let him know, to tell him that she loved him. He was important to her, and probably always would be.

Sakura beamed at her friend.

"What would I do without you Tomoyo?" said Sakura, grinning.

"Probably eat more cake." Said Tomoyo with a giggle. "You look much better. Have you made a decision?"

"Yeah." Said Sakura, nodding her head in determination. "I'm going to tell him. I want to confess, even if I'm rejected." She could determine what to do with her feelings from there.

Her heart gave a tight squeeze, the pain so prominent she flinched, pressing against her chest.

"Are you alright?" asked Tomoyo, who had noticed Sakura's pain.

"I'm fine." Said Sakura, slowly removing her hand. That one had hurt quite a bit. There was no way it was a coincidence. She'd been feeling the sensation all day. The pain must be related to her broken heart.

Slowly, she pulled down on the collar of her shirt. What she saw made her eyes light up. It was as she suspected.

"Look Tomoyo!" said Sakura. "It's gotten bigger!"

Tomoyo narrowed her eyes, "That's not the only thing it's doing." Said Tomoyo. "It's changing as well."

The star had changed shape, adding more points between the original. It had also grown in detail, the pink outline including more decorations than before.

"What do you think it means?" said Sakura.

"I think," Said Tomoyo, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "it means your keyheart is reacting to your decision. It's starting to heal."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Once again, I apologize for the long delay. Hopefully it won't happen again, so you put down your murder weapons. A big thank you for your reviews and encouragement to continue this! See yah**

 **-Blushweaver**


	5. Chapter 5

_"I think." Said Tomoyo, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "It means your keyheart is responding to your decision. It's starting to heal_."

* * *

The iron pressed into the fabric, smoothing out each creases in a puff of steam. It let out one last hiss as Sakura placed it standing up and flicked off the switch.

It was done. Syaoran's sweater was nearly cleaned and pressed to perfection. Now if she could pull of confessing to him with such precision...

She resisted the urge to sigh, placing the folding the sweater in her arms where it was less likely to be wrinkled. She grabbed her brown satchel and skipped down the steps of her home two at a time.

If Toyo was still here he would have commented about the noise.

"I'm not a monster." Grumbled Sakura, though she said it with a smile. It was odd how she looked back on those moments with fondness. It certainly hadn't been pleasant in the moment, but now she almost missed hearing him insult her in the morning. Maybe she could blame her strange reminiscing on her still broken heart.

Sakura took her bento, placing it inside her bag. It had extra food, like always. But unlike always, she didn't plan on letting it go to waste. She was determined to eat with Syaoran at lunch. To take all the small steps necessary to increase her expose to him and then maybe - just maybe. She'd have a chance when she confessed to him.

And if he did reject her well… at least she would know.

Her heart gave a soft twinge.

Sakura grimaced, recognizing the feeling for what it was. Her keyheart reacting to her emotions as it reconstructed itself. After looking up all those articles and pamphlets on keyhearts, she had come to this conclusion. It was the only thing that made sense.

"Bye dad!" she called as she ran to the door. He gave a muffled reply from the living room, telling her to stay safe. As he always did.

She exited the house, feeling optimistic about the day.

Her smile grew when she recognized Syaoran waiting for her at the gate of her house again.

"Good morning." called Sakura, waving at him. He responded in kind.

"Good morning." He said. "Mind if I walk with you again?"

"Please do." Said Sakura, pushing the gate open to stand beside him. "You can just wait inside the house next time if you wish."

That was assuming he'd come to pick her up again in the future. Maybe she was pushing it, but Sakura was allowed to dream, wasn't she?

If Syaoran thought the comment was forward or odd, he didn't react.

"I'll do that then." He said. "Who knows, maybe we'll both make it to our practices on time."

Sakura chose to ignore his quip at her chronic tardiness. He had just indicated that he might come pick her up again in the future. That was more than enough for her to forgive him.

"I'm really glad they've put those on hold until the festival is done." Said Sakura. "I can't imagine staying after for both practice and getting everything prepared. I'd be too tired for homework. Oh, here. I washed your vest for you."

Sakura held out the vest, still neatly folded in her arms. Syaoran took the sweater and ran a hand against it.

"You ironed it too, didn't you?" he said. "I don't think my sweater has been this neat since I first got it."

"It's only polite to return something in better form than when you borrowed it."

"Thanks." He held out his bag, which she took as he pulled the sweater vest over his shirt. The school allowed the students to wear their uniform with a sweater or not. Syaoran usually chose to wear his.

A messy head of brunet curls poked out from the top, the vest settling neatly in place as Syaoran pulled it on. Now he looked his normal self.

"Thank you again for letting me borrow it." Said Sakura, unable to help smiling at Syaoran wearing the vest _she_ had cleaned.

"What kind of friend would I be if I'd let you walk around covered in juice?" he said, taking back this bag. "Even if you were eavesdropping."

Sakura couldn't help herself, rising to the taunt. "I told you, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I just wanted to eat lunch with you…" And every day for that matter.

Syaoran responded with a laugh, ignoring Sakura's pout. She wasn't truly mad at him. Her mind was the true source of her torment. Seriously, why was it so hard for her to ask to eat with him again? She had the larger lunch and everything. Her hand tightened on the handles of her bag as doubt crept into her heart.

Syaoran suddenly placed a hand to his head, letting out a sharp hiss.

"Syaoran, are you alright?" said Sakura.

"I'm fine." He waved it off. "I just woke up with a headache. I must not have drunk enough water yesterday or something."

Sakura was already planning to buy him a drink at lunch. Or maybe even at the next vending machine they passed. Or maybe she would just ask him to marry her.

"Do you want to eat lunch together again?"

And there it went. Charging out of her mouth with minimal consideration for the timing.

 _Silly Sakura._ She chided herself. _Here he is in pain, and you're hounding him about eating lunch with you. How selfish._

Syaoran's hand lifted from his forehead, suspended in the air. She had surprised him with the question.

"I'm sure some good food could help your headache." She interjected, on the verge of blabbering. "And you did say my lunches are good, I can share with you."

The surprise left as Syaoran perked up instead. "Of course! Your cooking in the best." He praised. "I'd get a headache everyday if I could steal your lunch as a result."

Sakura couldn't help giggling at his enthusiasm, her heart swelling in joy.

 _Step one taken care of._ She was making progress.

"You're not stealing if I'm offering." She scolded. "But if it makes you feel better, I can look the other way when you take it."

* * *

Sakura was bouncing when she walked into her classroom, a large goofy grin plastered on her face. She greeted everyone cheerily as she passed, some noting her good mood. It wasn't unusual for her to be happy in the morning, granted she was there on time to greet them. But there was an extra bubble of happiness tickling her lungs that most people didn't notice. All save her best friend.

Sakura plunked into her seat, turning to Tomoyo.

"Good morning." She said.

"Good morning Sakura-chan." Said Tomoyo, eying her with a knowing look. "You're especially cheerful. I take it something good happened this morning."

"Something good alright." Said Sakura, giving a sigh of happiness. She practically melted into her desk as she rested her chin onto her fists. "Syaoran-kun came to my house and walked me to school again. It was so great. I even managed to invite him to lunch."

"He was waiting for you outside your house?" Said Tomoyo, hiding a smile with her hand. "I wonder why he would do that?"

"Who knows?" said Sakura, missing her friend's pointed question. "But I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. I'm not going to be passive anymore."

"Oh? What do you have planned?"

"Not much." Said Sakura, some of the smile fading as she thought through on her feeble plans. "Right now it includes increase my exposure around him. Lunch and the festival are a good start… but once everything goes back to normal it might be harder."

They'd both have practice at different times. Her cheer class and his kendo would sometimes alternate between morning and afternoon practices. Walking to and from school would be hard with the inconsistent schedule. And his classroom wasn't very close. It wasn't too far either, but it was out of the way to go see him.

"Sounds like as good a plan as any." Said Tomoyo. "I think you're on the right track."

"You think so?" said Sakura. She had some doubts about her ability to fight for Syaoran. She still didn't know who he liked. It was hard to fight an opponent she couldn't identify.

"I know so." Said Tomoyo with a knowing wink. "You're adorable Sakura, and it's just a matter of time before Syaoran notices and falls head over heels for you."

"You always say that about everyone." Said Sakura, giggling at her friend's ridiculousness. Tomoyo seriously believed that half of the school had a secret crush on her, and the other half were women. One of the pitfalls of being a best friend. Sakura secretly thought the same of Tomoyo as well. She knew there were at least five boys in this class that thought she was cute and wanted to ask her out.

"Well, I hope you're right for once." Said Sakura. "Because I'm not going to deny my heart anymore."

* * *

Sakura had to constantly remind herself not to swing the bento box as she hurried down the halls. It was lunch time, and she had practically dashed out of her classroom the second the teacher had dismissed them.

 _I'm such an air head._ She scolded within as she maneuvered through the other students. She and Syaoran hadn't decided where they were going to meet, who was going to pick up who or any of the details for their lunch date. Those details had slipped her mind in favor of the buzzing high of success. Now she regretted her momentary lapse of concentration as she tried not to run through the halls, hoping he hadn't left yet. There was the possibility they would meet each other in the halls, but she didn't want to take that chance.

She arrived at his classroom, the rectangular sign indicating it was his classroom. Class 3-C. She hadn't been her before, but she knew it was his. He was famous in the school after all.

The sliding door was partially opened as Sakura pushed it the rest of the way, noting that there were still a great deal of people inside. They were mostly clustered at the back of the room, desks moved aside as a large group of them appeared to be engaged in some sort of activity that involved paper. Maybe they were working on homework together?

Sakura craned her neck at the entrance of the room, not wanting to trespass into their area without permission. It was silly, but her timid nature couldn't all be cured in one self-motivational speech.

It made it impossible to see the faces of everyone in the room, but she could see their heads. And a certain mop of brown curly hair was nowhere to be see.

"Ah, excuse me." said Sakura, motioning to a girl by the door. The girl paused, long brown pigtails poking out on either side of her head. The cutesy hairdo clashed somewhat with her inexpressive face as she gave Sakura a slow blink in response.

"Is Syaoran-kun here?" said Sakura. "I was supposed to meet with him."

"Meet with Li-san?" said the girl, her expression changing from curiosity to pity. It was as if the girl understood something Sakura didn't. "I'm sorry, he's not here."

 _Great, it looks like I did miss him_. Thought Sakura. She'd failed at even her simplest of plans. What sort of future did this forecast?

 _No, I mustn't give up yet!_

"Do you know where he went?" she said.

"He should be back soon." Said a guy who was seated beside the girl. He appeared to be the calm type that took everything in stride. He was cutting into a piece of paper, not even looking up from his project to talk to Sakura. "But I wouldn't bother waiting if I was you. Li-kun's not taking confessions anymore."

"I-I'm not here to confess." Said Sakura, heart beating a tad faster.

"Here to eat lunch with him then?" said the girl, nodding to the bento Sakura was carrying. "Trying to increase your chance of success when you do confess? Don't bother, we've seen it all and nothing's worked yet."

"He's determined to only be with his keymate." Said the boy, holding up the piece of paper and frowning at it. "Am I supposed to cut an inch outside the lines, or inside?"

"You're supposed to cut _on_ the line you dolt." Said the girl, snatching the paper from his hands. "Who gave you scissors in the first place?"

Sakura watched their mild argument without seeing. She was stuck on the words the girl had said. That others had come and tried the same thing Sakura had. To spend more time with Syaoran to increase their chances of success. Forgetting the keymate thing, it had never worked because Syaoran already liked someone. Could Sakura beat what all the other girls before her had done?

The truth was she didn't know. All her previous confidence had deflated as easily as a pin to a balloon. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

"Don't listen to those two." Said a different boy who stood nearby. "They're just bitter singles who feed on the failures of others. They'll convince keymates that they aren't meant to be."

"Shut up Iori-san." Shot the girl. "At least I'm not a desperate single who would date anything that says yes."

"Ouch," winced Iori. "You don't have to go that far."

Any response the girl had was interrupted by a shout from another classmate. The guy was near the larger group, waving at the stragglers standing by the door.

"Hey! Get your butts over here and help us out." He said.

"We are helping out." Shot back the girl. "I'm making sure Shotou-san doesn't destroy all of our paper."

 _Shotou must be the boy who had been cutting the paper,_ Sakura surmised. He had dark hair and wore a large pair of glasses. He gave the girl a dejected look.

"I'm not a child, I can cut in a straight line."

Sakura smiled in sympathy for the man. She herself had a problem cutting in straight lines. The first time she had tried to help Tomoyo with her fashion projects had been the last. Her cutting ability was atrocious.

"Is this something for the school festival?" said Sakura, wondering what it was they were doing.

"Yeah," said the girl, whose name Sakura still hadn't gotten. "It's-"

"Sakura."

Sakura managed not to jump. At least not visually. Her heart did lodge itself somewhere in her throat making it impossible to speak as she spun around to see Syaoran standing right in front of her. Her response was to give a nervous laugh as her mouth hung in a half open smile.

"I totally scared you again." He said, mischievous grin spreading wider.

Gosh he was beautiful.

"Y-you did not!" said Sakura, lying through her teeth. "And stop that! I know you're doing it on purpose."

"Don't worry, I made sure you didn't have juice this time."

Sakura tried to scowl, but it was impossible. She enjoyed the attention Syaoran gave her, even if it was in the form of teasing. If he could tease her it meant they were close, right?

She noticed he was carrying something. It was a stack of what looked like cardstock paper. She also realized that there was a girl behind him, carrying a similar bundle.

Against her wishes, Sakura's first instinct was to put herself on guard against this girl. This classmate who had obviously gone with him to get more supplies from the teachers or wherever they had gotten the paper. She was on the small side, with short brown hair that fell right above her collarbone. A portion of the hair had been pulled to the side with a stripped bow. With her light rosy cheeks and large brown eyes, she was naturally adorable.

 _Shoot._

Not that Sakura should be feeling annoyed at another girl because they looked cute, but she was. Annoyed that is. And it was because this girl could very well be the girl that Syaoran liked, which meant Sakura was already at a disadvantage. Aside from her natural beauty, the girl was also kind, if her willingness to go with Syaoran to get the paper was any indication, as small as it might be.

Syaoran suddenly jerked, a few pieces of paper fluttering to the ground from his sudden action.

"Whoh man, don't make a mess." Said Shotou.

"It wasn't on purpose." Said Syaoran, grimacing as he bent down to pick up the papers. Sakura went down to help as well.

As she reached for a piece of paper, a delicate hand whisked it away before she could.

The other girl was helping. The cute one with a bow.

The girl added the piece into the stack already in her arms. Sakura watched as Syaoran also began cleaning up, sending the smaller girl a grateful smile. She watched as the girl responded with her own smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Are you alright?" said the girl with obvious concern. The way her large eyes peered up at Syaoran highlighted her black defined lashes.

"I'm fine." Said Syaoran, waving it off as he hefted the papers into his arms. "Just a cramp, let's set these papers down."

As Syaoran's eyes wondered over to hers, Sakurea realized he was speaking to her as well. She held a measly three pieces of paper as she had stopped, watching the exchange with a growing sense of unease.

"Uh, right." Said Sakura, quickly straightening. She hoped her face wasn't burning with as much humiliation as her insides were. "Sorry. Here."

She quickly followed them past the threshold of the classroom, setting her papers on a desk. As she tried to quickly collect herself, she listened to Syaoran's classmates greet him.

"Good, you're back. We were almost out of paper."

"Why'd you let Nora-san carry the papers herself? Aren't you supposed to be a gentleman?"

"Took you both long enough!"

"If you want to criticize me then you should have gotten the paper yourself!" said Syaoran, exasperated. "And what do you want Karen-san? you're staring at me again."

Syaoran was looking toward the girl with the pigtails. That must be Karen. The girl tilted her head to the side with a bored expression.

"So you _do_ know this girl?" said Karen, pointing at Sakura.

"I do." Said Syaoran. "This is Sakura. She's one of my childhood friends."

Sakura internally cheered at the statement. Both that she was considered a friend, and to show Karen that she indeed wasn't like all those other girls who had come here seeking Syaoran's affections. At least, Sakura had some excuse to come and bribe him with food.

"And you expected her to come here today?" continued Karen.

"Somewhat." Said Syaoran, now turning to Sakura. "Sorry about the wait. We didn't exactly determine where we were going to meet did we?"

"It's alright." Said Sakura. "I didn't think much about it either."

"Should we go and have lunch then?"

Sakura nodded, eager to leave and be alone with him. Her first impression of Syaoran's classmates was that they were dangerous to her health. Any longer, and they might make her say or do something stupid that would blow the whole thing.

Before she and Syaoran could leave however, they were stopped by another classmate.

"Hold it right there!"

One of the guys grabbed hold of Syaoran's wrist, looking almost desperate. "Don't you dare try to sneak off Li-san. Everyone needs to help out with the stand."

"That's why I got more paper." Said Syaoran, trying to shake off his classmate. "I did my part, now let me go have lunch."

Syaoran's words were met with multiple vocal objections from his classmates. With each person that included their voice to the protest, it would catch the attention of another classmate until the whole room was calling Syaoran out for trying to sneak off. It was somewhat astonishing to watch Syaoran stand before dozens of other people without flinching. He gave up trying to explain, ignoring them as he motioned to Sakura.

"Come on, let's just leave." He said.

"Is it alright?" said Sakura.

"They'll live, I promise. Now let's go before they-"

Syaoran stopped, and it was obvious why. The doorway had been blocked by the guy who had been cutting paper before, Shotou.

For a guy Sakura had previously pegged as the nice withering type, he was surprisingly intimidating, arms crossed as he stood between them and their means of escape.

"If I can't run away, then you can't either." Said Shotou.

"Shotou-san, move." Said Syaoran.

Sparks flew between the two as they glared.

Sakura hung back, unsure where she fit in this sudden conflict.

"Just stay, it's not that hard." Said Karen with a roll of her eyes.

"What are you guys doing for the festival anyway?" said Sakura.

"It's kind of like a scavenger hunt." Said Karen. She took two pieces of paper from the table and held them up, each identical in shape. They were about the size of playing cards. On one card was a picture of what was unmistakably a keyheart. On the other was its matching lockheart.

"We charge a small fee for each person." She continued. "They take either a keyheart or lockheart and spend the day trying to find their match. Once they do, they come back and collect their prize. The first couple to return with their matching pair gets a big prize. From there the prizes taper off until we're basically handing out a piece of candy for each pair."

"Sounds like a fun stand." Said Sakura. She could understand the appeal, especially for other girls. Most fantasized about finding their lockmate, but with this stand, they could live that fantasy, find their partner and go through the different emotions of discovering their destined partner, even if it was only for a day.

"It was my idea." Said Karen with a peace sign. "That way, only two people will need to man the stand and the rest can enjoy the festival."

Or, the appeal of the stand could be that.

"What is everyone doing then?" said Sakura, looking back at the group clustered together.

"Designing, coloring and drawing the key and lockhearts. Part of the appeal is that each will be unique, much like our own hearts."

"That sounds like fun." Said Sakura. "We can stay and help out."

"Eh?" said Syaoran, who hadn't been listening. He was currently leaning backward, using his full body to try and pull Shotou from the door. Their grappling paused in favor of turning their attentions to Sakura. "What was that?"

"Let's stay and help out." Said Sakura.

Though a portion of her dreaded the possibility that Syaoran's classmates would start badgering her about confessing again, it wasn't enough to cover her guilt for pulling Syaoran away. Syaoran was the leader type, and if he ditched, a lot of other might sneak off as well.

Besides, she and Syaoran could still enjoy their lunch together as they worked.

"Are you sure?" said Syaoran, looking doubtful. "This isn't your class and we already made plans to eat together. They're the dolts that waited to do all this last minute."

"You're part of this class too Li-kun!" someone else shouted.

"It's fine." Said Sakura, waving away his concerns. "As long as they don't mind me helping out."

It sounded like fun away. What harm could come of designing and coloring hundreds of key and lockhearts?

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **I'm back and alive. Expect updates around a week apart. It might not be exactly a week, but you can check my profile for any details on updates. We don't have much more with this story anyway. There's a reason I was stuck forever on these last chapters… Sigh  
**

 **Yes, the key is the new key in the clear card arc. That came out just before I edited the previous chapter and I was like "Hey! Perfect timing, I'll add that little detail to the fic."**

 **Also, I don't plan on writing from Syaoran's perspective. Sorry guys, but I wanted to practice writing something from only one person's perspective with this story.**

 **Anyway, thank you again for reading and for your patience. Seriously, I suck. You guys are awesome.**

 **-Blushweaver**


	6. Chapter 6

_What harm could come of designing and coloring hundreds of keyheart?_

* * *

Sakura found herself settled in the middle of the group of students, Syaoran on one side, and Iori-san on her other. She noticed - with some reluctant jealousy – that the girl Syaoran had gone to get paper with was seated on the other side of Syaoran. Sakura pushed her childish feelings aside, smiling pleasantly at Syaoran's classmates as some greeted her. This included said girl.

"I'm glad you're helping us." Said Nora across from Syaoran. "Each person helps, given the number of cards we have to make."

"As long as you don't mind." Said Sakura. "I don't want to impose on another class project."

"Oh, not at all. I've even got some of my family at home drawing pictures. They're really enjoying it, especially the younger ones. Here." She held up a few cards.

It was obvious each card had been drawn by a different person. Two of the card were intricate and beautifully designed, while a few looked like they had been drawn by kindergarteners. They each had their own charm, and Sakura was sure that a little of the artist's own heart was included in the pictures.

"They're cute." Said Sakura sincerely. Gosh they were, and so was this girl. Sakura decided that she couldn't hate her, no matter insecure it made her feel. "Were those drawn by your younger siblings?"

"Older." Said Nora with a sheepish laugh. "My brother is atrocious at drawing."

"So is mine." Said Sakura, laughing as she thought about Toya drawing a key and lockheart. They would probably look like a Picasso painting. Granted that would actually be really cool.

"What did you bring for lunch?" said Syaoran.

"Hoe! Yes, let me get it out." Said Sakura, remembering the reason she had come. She quickly fished out her lunchbox, setting it between them. Many other students had their lunches on the table as well, eating as they drew and talked together.

Sakura had tried to curb her desires as she made lunch this morning, she really had, but she hadn't been able to help making it a little more lavish than usual. She had rice, deviled eggs and some spicy chicken. A couple green vegetables surrounded the meal, adding their colors to the ensemble. Add the box of strawberry pocky she had in her bag for dessert and it promised a delightful meal.

"Looks amazing!" said Syaoran, eagerly snatching her extra pair of chopsticks and taking a bite of the meat. He gave her a thumbs-up, still chewing happily.

"Not even a thank you before you dig in?" she scolded with a smile.

Syaoran swallowed. "Eating is my thank you. It's a compliment to your wonderful cooking."

Sakura tried not to blush, or to look happy at all in general. Else he might see just how happy she was with his compliments. She busied herself with her own chopsticks, taking a bite of her own food.

The food had barely touched her tongue when Iori beside her spoke up.

"Is Syaoran actually sharing lunch with a girl?"

Sakura swallowed her food without chewing, causing her to go into a mild coughing fit. Syaoran thumped her sympathetically on the back as he shrugged.

"Yeah, what of it?" he said.

"Dude, you never eat lunch with other girls, especially not the same lunch."

"I do if it's with Sakura."

And now Sakura was glad for an excuse for her face to be red. She gulped down some water from her water bottle, clearing her airway. Unfortunately, Irori's question had pulled the attention of a few other classmates. She and Syaoran were now the object of many people's attention.

"Is this why you've stopped accepting confessions?" said Karen. "Why didn't you just say you had a girlfriend?"

"I'm – cough - not his girlfriend." Sakura quickly interjected. The last thing she needed was for people to get the wrong idea… well actually, what was wrong with it? If Syaoran heard the idea, who knew, maybe he would warm up to it?

Except she had already shot it down without thinking. _Dang you muscle memory._ Too much time denying her feelings was kicking her in the rear. She looked to Syaoran to see how he took the teasing. See if there was any hope for her…

He looked perfectly composed.

Dang it!

"Really?" said Karen. She narrowed her eyes at Sakura, leaning across the table to stare at her. Sakura leaned away in response. She didn't appreciate being scrutinized like this. It was hard to keep her face inconspicuous with Karen staring at her so intently.

Whatever Karen had seen, she must have gotten her answer for she leaned away, clicking her tongue. "How boring."

Sakura decided that she needed to keep herself busy. A distraction was a great tool for keeping oneself composed. She pulled a pencil and some paper in front of her with the intention to start designing some keyhearts.

As she expected, the group wasn't quite done with the topic

"Then you're not taken?" said Iori, looked especially eager at Sakura.

"No." said Sakura.

"Then how about-"

"No, Iori-san." Cut in Syaoran.

"Oh come on!" said Iori, looking upset. "It's just a date, and you're not her guardian or anything."

Sakura wasn't sure what exactly this conversation was about, but if she had to hazard a guess, Syaoran had just stopped Iori from asking her out…. Wait what?

Syaoran had paused in his sketching, eying Sakura with a long look. She blinked back with clueless, hopeful eyes. He eventually smirked.

"You can't." said Syaoran. "Because she has someone she likes."

 _Dang my stupid mouth!_

"And I have to approve of who she dates."

Nora giggled. "You sound like an older brother Li-san."

 _Double dang it!_

"Are you saying you don't approve of me?" said Iori. "That hurts man."

"I'm just trying to save you the trouble of disappointment." Said Syaoran.

"You're not my older brother." Said Sakura, adding her displeasure to Iori's. She grabbed a piece of her lunch and popped it into her mouth. She chewed on the meat as if the thing had done her a personal wrong.

"I can decide who I want to date by myself, thank you very much." She muttered to herself. They were back to this hurdle. That Syaoran saw her as more of a little sister, one he had to guard. It was bad if others saw their interactions and thought the same thing.

She felt a slight push on her shoulder. It was Syaoran. He had gently nudged her with his own shoulder to get her attention. He sent her an apologetic smile, browns tilted upward. It was slight, but she could read him so easily. She could tell he was sorry the comment had upset her.

Always so considerate. She shook her head ever so slightly to show that she wasn't truly upset. He understood, giving a small nod.

"Yeah Syaoran, don't force your ideals onto Sakura-san." Said Shotou. He was across the table, seated beside Karen. He had somehow gotten a pair of scissors and was slowly destroying a pile of good paper. Karen had yet to notice, too intent on the conversation. "Not everyone is dead set on being with their keymate like you are."

"You're going to be forever alone with that mentality." Said a different boy who had come over to steal more paper from them. He reached over their shoulders, snatching up a pile. "What are the odds that your keymate is even this school? A million to one?"

"Not quite that extreme." Said Syaoran.

"Well, I think it's smart to hold out." Said Shotou.

"You do?" said Sakura, a little surprised.

"Sure." Said Shotou. "The whole thing with the hearts are just annoying. You see, I was dating this girl once and she asked to try our hearts. They didn't fit, of course, and she dumped me the next day! It's ridiculous how much stock girls put in those things. It's better to never try them or address it immediately so it doesn't become a problem in the future."

"I never thought of it that way." Mused Sakura. Now that she considered, it could cause a lot of potential problems if the person had second thoughts on the relationship. Or if one of the party thought it was important and the other didn't. Why doubt if you were meant to be when you could know for sure?

"That's a little ridiculous." Interjected Nora. "I mean, even with all those websites. It's still almost impossible to find your lockmate. Most people end up with someone else and make do."

"Make do?" said Syaoran, his voice hitching slightly. It wasn't terribly noticeable, but Sakura could tell the comment had gotten to him. "I don't think most of the population would agree with the term of 'making do'. It's not impossible to fall in love with someone other than your keymate."

 _He's defending himself._ Thought Sakura. _He's in love with someone he knows isn't his keymate and he doesn't care._ Though she was sad about it, she couldn't help smiling as he defended his feelings, even if the others weren't aware. They all obviously thought Syaoran cared about being only with his keymate.

 _Wait a moment._ Thought Sakura. If they assumed he only wanted to be with his keymate, did that mean she was the only one here he had trusted enough to tell the truth? That he didn't care about finding his keymate? Or was it possible that he had told others but they were keeping it quiet. Either way, it didn't matter. It meant he trusted her with this secret, and she was happy for that at least.

The group was still talking about key and lock mates when she tuned back in. Someone had given an example of a man being married to a woman he loved and then finding his keymate years later. They were all arguing what was the right thing to do in that situation.

"How did he find out she was his keymate in the first place?" Karen was saying. "That sounds like he was already emotionally cheating on his wife. He's the worst!"

Sakura shook her head, sending Syaoran a smile.

"Your friends are really energetic." She said.

"There's never a dull moment, that's for sure." He said. "I think they stuck all the ADHD and certified spastic ones in this classroom."

"I don't think there's such a thing as certified spastic."

"Really? Are you sure, because Ken-san has a certificate and everything."

Sakura giggled, unsure if Syaoran was being serious or not.

Nora suddenly leaned over the table, eyes lighting up as she looked over at Sakura.

"Oh! Sakura-san. I really like the keyheart you designed."

That's when Sakura paid attention to the key she had drawn. It was a simple one with a slim handle that curved around into a circle. What Nora was no doubt referencing were the little wings sprouting from the edge, almost identical to the ones Sakura had on her own keyheart.

Sakura's heart sped up. What in the world?! She didn't remember drawing those wings. She'd been designing the handle and then the topic of keyhearts had come up and distracted her… Shoot. She'd added them without thinking! What would Syaoran say?

He wasn't saying anything. He was just staring, face perfectly still as his eyes moved from the paper to her. She couldn't make out his reaction. Was he annoyed? Curious? Apathetic?

Karen snatched the paper from Sakura's slack fingers. She tried to get it back, but Karen leaned back in her chair out of reach, eyeing it with a raised brow.

"Now that's a neat idea." She said. "I've never seen a keyheart with wings on it before. Not even in pictures."

Sakura finally managed to snatch the paper back, crumpling it in her hands.

"It's a little weird." Said Sakura with a shaky laugh. "I don't like it. It was just a test key to help me get warmed up."

"Wait, I wanted to see it!" said Iori in disappointment.

"Sorry Iori, I'll let you look at the next one."

"It's a promise." He said seriously, "You can't crumple the next one."

She smiled in response, her heart still hammering. She snuck a glance at Syaoran, but the man wasn't looking at her. His head was turned toward Nora, talking over her drawing. Sakura couldn't tell if it was a good thing or not.

* * *

"What was the matching lockheart going to look like?"

Sakura paused, almost to her locker. School was over and she had been with Tomoyo for the past hour doing homework and talking. Almost everyone had gone home, so she was surprised to find Syaoran, arms folded as he leaned against the wall.

It was obvious he was waiting for her. What would have normally thrilled her was overshadowed by the look he was giving her. He was annoyed.

"Excuse me?" said Sakura.

"In the class room at lunch." He clarified in a clipped tone. "The first key you drew. The one with the wings. What were you going to draw as it's matching lockheart?"

"I wasn't." she said, defensive. "I didn't even realize I had drawn it until Nora pointed it out."

"You sure?" said Syaoran. "You weren't trying to get a message to the girl that I'm keymates with?"

"Of course not!" she protested, now understanding Syaoran's annoyance. He probably thought she was going to draw his lockheart as the pair. No wonder he was annoyed at her. "I'd never do something like that without your permission."

Syaoran gave her one last long look, sizing her up assertion. He grimaced.

"You're right." He said. "It's not like you to do that."

He moved away from the wall, a hand coming to rub his neck. The irritation was obvious in his posture. It was stiff with frustrations that had been hounding him for who knew how long. Her drawing had probably been icing on the cake of worries he was holding.

"Sorry." He said. "For taking my frustrations out on you. I was just annoyed at the thought of you trying to push me toward that girl."

"It's alright. I can understand why you're angry."

He shook his head, giving a helpless chuckle. "You really don't Sakura." He said, voice throaty with emotions. It showed a vulnerability that his words hadn't, making Sakura understand just how big a this was to him. His crush on the girl he liked. Syaoran _never_ sounded this broken.

It made Sakura want to break as well. Disappointment welled up inside of her, both at her careless action, and for trying to keep a hold of him with her heart.

"I'm sorry." Was all she could manage.

"It's not your fault. It's- ugh." Syaoran slapped a hand on his face, grim mood lessening. He glanced left and right, before coming closer and lowering his voice. "Please don't apologize. Things have just been strange… You've heard I'm no longer taking confessions, right?"

Sakura nodded, still unable to speak.

"It's because of my lockheart" continued Syaoran. "Something's happened to it and I can't call it out. I talked to the councilor and she thinks it's reforming after almost bonding with the other heart. I can feel it reconstructing, but that's not the only thing. I can feel the other keyheart. I can feel it trying to reform the connection. I don't want that. I feel like I'm being pulled in every direction, and it's made it hard…The tighter she holds onto me, the more it hurts."

Sakura's mouth went dry. She was causing him pain? How could that be. All she was doing was being true to her heart and loving him.

"Syaoran…" whispered Sakura. "That sounds dangerous. What if you rip your heart in two trying to deny the connection?"

"I don't care." he said firmly. "I know who I love, and it's not her."

 _Love._ He had used the L word.

Utter defeat crashed into Sakura, knocking down every piece of confidence along the way. The cacophony of emotions swirled within her until she felt sick, unable to keep her face straight. Her heart burned along with her eyes, both threatening to burst in their own way.

 _I can't do it._ She thought. _I can't keep causing him pain._ If he was willing to tear his heart in two, then she had no place to claim his heart. She had to stop loving him. For his sake. For the sake of his soul. She would not be the one that broke him.

 _So much for being true to my heart._

She hadn't even gotten a chance to confess…

"Sakura?"

Sakura closed her eyes, tears leaking through the edges. She searched within herself, finding the portion of her that housed her soul. It was turbulent with her emotions, scattered as it reformed her key. She quelled its trembling, feeding it the strength she needed to do this. To let him go.

Imagined strings appeared, connected to her heart. She could feel them, braided through the old strings of their first connection.

She took a deep mental breath, then she broke it off.

It wasn't hard. The foundation had been broken once before. The bridge between their hearts easily snapped.

Sakura staggered back, mouth open as her throat choked. Something withdraw from within her, a light fleeing her presence. Its departure stung, leaving an acrid poison of loneliness seeping into her soul. She wrinkled her nose at the feeling, finally gaining control of her body.

Another bout of shock shot through her.

Syaoran was kneeling on the ground. His eyes were closed, sweat pouring from his face as his breaths came in haggard gasps.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **And thank you for those that took the time to review! I'm glad that there are people still reading, even if it's been a while. See yah!**

 **-Blushweaver**


	7. Chapter 7

_Syaoran was kneeling on the ground. His eyes were closed, sweat pouring down his face as his breaths came in haggard gasps._

* * *

"Syaoran!"

Sakura knelt, hands fliting around without touching, unsure how to help. Both mind and heart sped up tenfold, making it hard to think. Hard to help.

Except that was what had caused this. Her trying to help.

 _Oh, gosh Syaoran, this is my fault, I know it is._

"T-the clinic." Sakura sputtered out. "Let's get you to the clinic." Get him to someone that would help better than Sakura could.

Her hand wrapped around his bicep with the intent to help him to his feet.

"I-I'm fine Sakura," said Syaoran. He didn't sound fine. "I don't need the clinic."

His shaking had stopped, and Sakura found herself being pulled upward instead as he rose. His face was still ashen, sleek with sweat, but his amber eyes shone with strength. So focused on Syaoran's face, she didn't noticed she still clung to his arm. Not until he put a calming hand over hers.

"I'm fine." he repeated.

"Syaoran, you just collapsed in front of me. At the very least, can you please sit down?"

"I did not collapse," he grumbled, but complied with her request. He started walking toward the nearest classroom with Sakura still gripping his arm. She told herself it was for his sake she kept hold. In case he fell again. It had nothing to do with her desire to stay close.

Her paranoia proved useful as Syaoran staggered through the threshold of the empty room. Still too far from the nearest chair, Sakura did her best to help him slide to the floor, back against the wall.

Eyes closed, Syaoran gave a long sigh. He still looked so worn out, a feeling Sakura shared once she sat beside him. It crashed in on her at once, making her glad she hadn't been standing when it had hit.

"Shoot," Syaoran hissed through gritted teeth. "What was that?"

He stiffened, as if hit by a thought. He tugged his tie loose, pulling shirt and vest aside to expose the skin below his left collar bone.

As Sakura had suspected, a tattoo rested above Syaoran's heart. It resembled his lockheart, only with a few changes. The hexagonal shape of the key overlapped another layer, Chinese symbols lining the sides. The yin and yang symbol had shrunk down, now only large enough to encase the keyhole.

Syaoran released his collar, giving a relived sigh.

"It's gone," he said.

"What is?"

"The connection."

Syaoran methodically realigned his uniform, explaining as he went. "I can feel that it's finally gone. The partial connection that was made. I broke it off from my end a long time ago, but she hadn't. I almost made you tell your friend to break it off… luckily it didn't come to that."

 _Except it did. You told her Syaoran, and she respected your wishes._

Sakura rubbed her chest, the cage of her own keyheart. An emptiness was expanding there. It coiled in her stomach, poisoning her happiness.

"Sakura?"

Syaoran stopped her hand by encasing it with his. She didn't pull away, or any closer.

"I promise, I'm fine," he insisted. "So please, don't look so worried. You're starting to make _me_ worry." He included just enough playful inflection to bring a smile to Sakura's lips. A weak one albeit, but it was there.

"You need to confess." Sakura heard herself saying. She summoned every drop of courage and will to finally turn. To face him with that weak smile. To look him in the eye as she said what she needed to.

His attention was focused solely on her. Concern tugged at his brows, as open a look of apprehension one could get from him. She loved it when he looked at her like this. As if she were someone important, and her distress caused him pain. Such a strange selfish happiness she carried within in.

 _It's time to change that._

No matter how heavy the words felt on Sakura's tongue, she forced them out.

"Your heart is under so much distress," she said. "If you want it to heal, you need to be true to it. Confess Syaoran. She deserves to hear your feelings, and your heart deserves a break."

Syaoran's eyes widened ever so slightly, opening his mouth to speak.

"Wait!" said Sakura quickly. "Before you protest or anything, I have something I need to say to you."

 _Something I should have said a long time ago._

Sakura pulled away from him, fists held before her in defense against the emotional hurt she was about to receive from his rejection.

"I love you Syaoran," she said. "So… so I want you to be happy. You need to confess."

There. She had said it, and nothing had felt so terrifying and yet so freeing. Those words that had been stuck at the tip of her tongue for years were finally spoken. Finally released.

Now all she had to fear was his response. He—

"What!?"

Syaoran turned so quickly that he spun too far, pushing back and forth on the ground until he was fully facing her. Heat rose into Sakura's face as he leaned forward and her eyes darted to the floor.

 _Hoe!_ He was so close!

"Are you serious?" said Syaoran. "You love me?"

Was he… was he teasing her?

The heat in Sakura's cheeks increased as now humiliation burned inside her. She poked the pads of her forefingers together in a nervous twitch.

"Erm, yeah," she said. "I just thought, even though you liked someone else I needed to be honest with my own feelings as well. Is… it a problem?"

She 'eeped' as Syaoran gripped her shoulders. Her first instinct was to look up, which proved to be an issue. She had no hope of escaping the close-up of his beaming expression. He looked ecstatic. Her stomach tightened in a strangely good way, electrifying her senses. Gosh he looked beautiful like this.

"No. It's not a problem," he was nearly laughing, alight with energy. "Not a problem at all."

He pulled her into a hug, eliciting another squeak from Sakura. His arms wrapped completely around her, different from any hug they had exchanged previously. Hugs that had always been casual, friendly. Not all encircling. Sakura had no idea what to make of this, her brain long gone at this point. It had fried from the amount of heat her face was producing.

"Umm, Syaoran. What are you… Why…?"

She felt his grip tightened ever so slightly, then relax. She leaned away, peering up at him beneath her fringe. He was still smiling, eyes soft as molten gold.

"Sakura. I love you as well."

Her mouth fell open.

 _He what!?_

No sound came out as she mutely pointed to herself, to make absolutely sure he was talking about her, Sakura, that he was in love with.

He gave another chuckle. "Yes, Sakura. You are the one I'm in love with."

"T-then, the girl you'd rather be with than your lockmate…"

"Is you," he finished, eyes twinkling. "I'm in love with you."

She almost couldn't believe it.

And then she did.

He had confirmed it for her three times and he would never lie or tease her about something like this. Happiness welled up within her, completely filling the empty space in her heart.

Light flashed. It blinded her, originating right before her. She held a hand to her watering eyes, blinking the spots from her vision. She could just make out Syaoran doing the same.

A moment later, something heavy thumped into her chest. It pushed the breath from her lungs, then inflated them with something better. Something more vital than air.

She breathed in the fresh feeling of life into her nostrils, the scent clearing her head. It was her keyheart. It was back and oh, how wonderful it felt to be there. She relished in the feeling for a moment, thanking whatever power had brought it back.

"I don't believe it."

Sakura concentrated her attention onto Syaoran, whose hand was pressed his heart. With a smaller flash, his lockheart emerged.

It looked the same as the tattoo that had been on his chest, save the addition of a red tassel. It dangled from his hand as he held it up, incredulous.

"My lockheart is back," he said, pressing it back into him. "Thank goodness. I was afraid..."

His attention turned introspective, no doubt lost in the moment. Then his focus shifted to Sakura.

"It doesn't matter that we're not lockmates," he said. "I want to be with you, and some fairy-tale magic isn't going to tell me otherwise. I'll determine my own fate. Is that something… Can you believe that as well?"

Sakura nearly told him. She nearly said they _were_ lockmates, and that the girl he had been trying to break his connection with was the girl he had just confessed to.

But then… she decided not to.

Because he posed a good question. If Syaoran wasn't her lockmate, could she be with him knowing there was someone else out there for him?

"Yes."

Her answer came without thought, her heart knowing the answer. Maybe it was because of their compatibility, or the love she already felt for him, but she didn't doubt her feelings. Not for a second.

His grin widened, pulling her into another hug. This time, Sakura returned it with enthusiasm, heart humming in perfect bliss.

* * *

Sakura's keyheart hadn't changed much. It was still pink with a star embedded into a round handle. The star had a few more points, but that was mostly it. The biggest change in her keyheart was the wings. They flanked the length of the entire handle, spreading out with greater detail. If she looked closely enough at the changes, she was sure to find some sort of symbolic meaning. As it was, she just enjoyed them. The wings looked pretty.

Sakura placed the key back inside her heart, unable to help a smile.

Her and Syaoran had officially become boyfriend and girlfriend.

It was embarrassingly cheesy how happy the thought made her. Like her life was some highschool romance story and the 'happily ever after' came once the couple got together. Had she any shame, she would have slapped herself a dozen times over for thinking this way.

Tomoyo had been ecstatic when she heard the news, giving Li-kun a hard time since she had apparently known about the crush. The. Whole. Time.

Rather than feeling betrayed by the secret, Sakura felt humiliated. Especially after she remembered all the hours Tomoyo had spent trying to convince her to go confess. How embarrassing.

 _And I_ still _haven't told him._

Sakura pushed away from the wall, walking down the noisy corridor. The school festival was in the beginnings of its life, but there were already a fair amount of people present. She had to side step a few to slip into the corridor leading to the outside.

Syaoran still had no idea that they were lockmates, or at least had been. They might not be anymore. Not after the break they had created.

 _"_ _I think turned out to be a good thing,"_ Mizuki had said. _"It's hard to repair anything with a broken foundation. Better to clear the path completely before starting to rebuild. You and Syaoran were tugging each other every different way while rebuilding your hearts. That sort of constant pressure is bound to cause problems."_

 _"_ _But it's also bound to promote strength,"_ said Eriol. _"Where you go from here is up to you Sakura-chan."_

She turned the corner, spotting the class 3-C stand. A banister hung over the length of it, depicting a large key and lockheart embossed with the words: Lovers Scavenger Hunt.

Syaoran was situated under the banister, monitoring the stand along with a single classmate. It seemed fairly popular, a small group of uniformed students lining up to get their respective cards. One group at the front of Syaoran's was made of several girls. They were speaking with Syaoran, large gesticulations indicating their enthusiasm for the topic. As Sakura got closer, she could make out what they were saying.

"-saying. What is the truth? Did you get a girlfriend?"

"I did," said Syaoran.

"What? Is she your keymate then?"

Syaoran notice Sakura at that moment. His eyes met hers, a knowing twinkle shining through as he answered.

"Yes. She is."

The news sent the girls in a tizzy. They each gave their individual groans and protests at the news, but thankfully, left without making a scene. It was amazing how much power the idea of being keymates kept people from harassing them.

No one else save Tomoyo and their counselors knew it was a lie. A lie that they were lockmates. Or at least, that Syaoran thought it was a lie. He was mistaken. They really, probably, more-than-likely were still keymates, but Syaoran didn't know that, and Sakura hadn't found a good time to bring it up.

Sakura moved past the line and came around the back of the stand. She stepped up next to him, hands clasped behind her as she leaned closer.

"I'm your keymate now, am I?" she said.

He glanced at her, smiling. "Of course, did you not know?"

"It would have been nice to have been informed."

Syaoran chuckled, their conversation put on hold as the next person stepped up. Sakura watched silently as the boy drew from the box of lockheart cards. His face lit up once he saw the picture, sprinting off to find his matching 'keymate.' It was an endearing sight.

Syaoran put the box away, getting his classmates attention to pass the stand to them. The boy waved Syaoran away, telling him to 'spend time with his girlfriend.'

And that's what he did.

Syaoran held out a hand and Sakura stared at it a second longer than she should have, embarrassingly slow at figuring out what it was for. Then it clicked.

"Oh!"

She grabbed it harder than was necessary, and with both hands instead of one. There was a pause as her face reddened, a huge grin spreading across Syaoran's face.

"I, uh. I'm sorry, I'm just really nervous." Sakura wailed. She tried to pull her hands away, but they were already trapped between Syaoran's strong fingers.

"Let me keep one." he insisted.

Sakura swallowed, nodding.

He finally allowed one hand to slip away, lacing his fingers through the other. Sakura kept her head down for a moment as she collected herself. It was still hard to act normally around him, especially now they were dating. She knew it would take time to adjust. To stop doubting herself and feeling embarrassed every time their eyes met. But she was improving.

She raised her heard, meeting the patient expression of her boyfriend.

"You don't know how satisfying it is to see you act like this." he said.

Heat flared in Sakura's cheeks, her attention returning to the ground. At least... she'd improve until he did something like that.

"Stop that," she grumbled. "I don't know why I thought you'd tease me less when we were dating."

"You know me better than that."

Sakura mock punched him with her free hand, giggling.

"You ready to go?" he said.

"Yup."

With their hands still connected, Sakura walked together with Syaoran to the entrance of the festival, her heart full.

She wouldn't tell him they had been keymates. That was something for the future, if she ever did say anything. Because in the end, it didn't matter. Whether they were or weren't lockmates, it wasn't important. They were masters of their own hearts, and true love was something they could create together.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **And thank you for your patience as I took forever to finally finish this. Also, thank you to those wonderful souls that took the time to review. You have a huge impact on both my motivation and desire to give you the best that I can. So thank you for helping me enjoy the process of story telling!**

 **I always meant for this story to be super short. I didn't want to drag out the 'idiot plotline.' (Where you are literally yelling at the main character "Just talk to them already idiot!" Skip Beat already has too much of that.) Also, one would think that Syaoran would put two and two together, realizing that Sakura had been his keymate and that was why the conveniently placed break happened. But… let's be honest. Some people don't over think things and miss the most obvious signs. Syaoran is one of those in my opinion. Otherwise he would have noticed Sakura's crush on him a long time ago… come to think of it, that includes Sakura. Dunderheads. They're true lockmates. (If you want an even worse display of obliviousness, watch Miraculous Ladybug. And don't you dare go off on the glamour effect. I don't think that's been confirmed in cannon)**

 **Anyway, thank you guys again! If you're waiting for The Prince's Concubine, it's still being outlined. I finally got a break and have been running with it. I still have Life Force to finish and then I can concentrate fully on the story. See you all later!**

 **-Blushweaver.**


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